Endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus

An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus of the present invention includes: a bottle body, including, a rigid portion with a mouth portion, and a deformable portion which is in a first shape while the disinfectant being stored therein and is deformable from the first shape to a second shape upon being compressed when the disinfectant is discharged therefrom; and a disinfectant tray having a housing section which can be pulled out of the apparatus body and into which the bottle body is housed, the disinfectant tray being provided with a housing space for a first slide member which allows the housing section to slide relative to the apparatus body and a housing space for a second slide member which is slidable relative to the first slide member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a disinfectant bottle in which a disinfectant is stored, and an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus in which the disinfectant bottle is disposed.

2. Description of the Related Art

Endoscopes are widely used in the medical and industrial fields. In the medical field, since the endoscopes are inserted into a body cavity in use for examinations and treatments, the endoscopes are definitely cleaned and disinfected after use. In cleaning and disinfecting the once used endoscopes, for example, an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus is used.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-230493 proposes an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus in which a flow path is formed without fail for feeding a solution held in a bottle into a chemical tank. The endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus includes a cleaning and disinfecting apparatus body and a disinfectant tray which can be pulled out to the front of the cleaning and disinfecting apparatus body, and the disinfectant tray is configured to house a bottle for storing a concentrated disinfectant and a bottle for storing a buffer therein. When the disinfectant tray is pushed back into the cleaning and disinfecting apparatus body, the bottles are disposed in a bottle disposing section so that the solutions in the bottles are rapidly fed into a chemical tank.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H 11-137506 proposes an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus in which a danger that a worker may be exposed to the vapor or droplets of a disinfectant during replacing the disinfectant for example, can be avoided. The endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus is provided with a connecting section for connecting a top cover to a disinfectant bottle for supplying a disinfectant to a disinfectant tank. The disinfectant bottle has a mouth portion, and when the mouth portion is mounted to an attaching part of the connecting section, a solution in the bottle is fed into a chemical tank via a cleaning bath.

Such a disinfectant which will be supplied to a chemical tank is provided to users in a standard bottle which corresponds to an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus, but in recent years, there has been a need for a bottle which has a larger volume than the standard one. On the other hand, there has been a demand for a more compact endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A disinfectant bottle of the present invention has a bottle body in which a disinfectant is stored, and the bottle body is housed in a housing section of a disinfectant tray, and includes a rigid portion having a mouth portion, and a deformable portion which is in a first shape while the disinfectant being stored therein and is deformable from the first shape to a second shape when the disinfectant is discharged therefrom.

An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus of the present invention includes: a bottle body which has a rigid portion with a mouth portion, and a deformable portion which is in a first shape while the disinfectant being stored therein and is deformable from the first shape to a second shape upon being compressed when the disinfectant is discharged therefrom; and a disinfectant tray which can be pulled out of the apparatus body and has a housing section for housing the bottle body, the disinfectant tray being provided with a housing space for a first slide member which allows the housing section to slide relative to the apparatus body and a housing space for a second slide member which is slidable relative to the first slide member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

A first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference toFIG. 1toFIG. 9.

As shown inFIG. 1, an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1is an apparatus for cleaning and disinfecting a used endoscope90, and mainly includes an apparatus body2, and a top cover3which is connected to the top of the apparatus body2in an openable and closable manner, via a hinge (not shown) for example.

The apparatus body2and the top cover3are disposed in a position relationship opposing to each other, and the top cover3has a latch3afor example so that a mounting of the latch3ain a mounting portion2amakes the top cover3closed over the apparatus body2.

The apparatus body2has a surface which faces forward inFIG. 1and to which an operator comes close (hereinafter, referred to as a apparatus front surface)2f, and a detergent/alcohol tray11is provided, for example, in the upper left part of the apparatus front surface2fin a way it can be pulled out to the front of the apparatus body2.

The detergent/alcohol tray11houses a detergent tank11ainto which a detergent is stored to be used in cleaning the endoscope90and an alcohol tank11bin which an alcohol is stored to be used in drying the endoscope90. The detergent/alcohol tray11is provided with two windows11m, thereby an operator can visually check the remaining amounts of the detergent and the alcohol in the tanks11aand11brespectively through the windows11m.

A disinfectant tray12is provided in the upper right part of the apparatus front surface2f, for example, of apparatus body2in a way it can be pulled out to the front of the apparatus body2. The disinfectant tray12has a housing section12afor housing a bottle body (see the reference numeral31ofFIG. 2) into which a disinfectant such as peracetic acid for example is stored to be used in disinfecting the endoscope90, which will be explained later. Since the disinfectant tray12is provided in a way it can be freely pulled out, the bottle body31can be housed therein in a replaceable way. The reference numeral12bdesignates a lever for operating a stopper (hereinafter, simply referred to as a lever), and a movement of the lever from the upstanding position shown by a solid line to a transversely lying position causes a pin (see the reference numeral41ofFIG. 3) which will be explained later to protrude so that a first slide member (see the reference numeral5ofFIG. 3) and a second slide member (see the reference numeral6ofFIG. 3), which constitute the disinfectant tray12and will be explained later, can be integrally secured.

A sub operation panel13is provided to the apparatus front surface2fof the apparatus body2above the disinfectant tray12, and the sub operation panel13is provided with a display of a cleaning and disinfecting time, an instruction button to heat a disinfectant, and the like.

A pedal switch14is provided at the bottom of the apparatus front surface2fof the apparatus body2to cause the top cover3which is closed over the apparatus body2to be opened upward as shown when an operator steps on it.

Meanwhile, a main operation panel21, on which setting switches such as a switch to start a cleaning and disinfecting operation of the apparatus body2and a switch to select the cleaning and disinfecting modes are arranged, is provided to an upper surface of the apparatus body2, for example at a position close to the right or left end of the apparatus front surface2fwhere an operator comes close.

A port22for connecting a water supply hose is provided to the upper surface of the apparatus body2at a position on a side which is opposite to the apparatus front surface2fwhere an operator comes close for connecting a hose (not shown) which is connected to a faucet to supply tap water to the apparatus body2.

A cleaning and disinfecting bath4is provided to the generally central part of the upper surface of the apparatus body2which can house the endoscope90therein and has an endoscope housing port that is opened and closed by the top cover3. The cleaning and disinfecting bath4includes a bath body4a, and a terrace portion4bwhich is provided in a manner continuous to the outer peripheral end of the endoscope housing port of the bath body4a.

The bath body4ahas a bottom surface4cin which draining port23is formed to drain from the bath body4aa cleaning solution, water, alcohol, a disinfectant, and the like supplied to the bath body4a. The bath body4aalso has a side surface4dto any position of which a circulating port is provided to circulate the cleaning solution, water, alcohol, a disinfectant, and the like supplied to the bath body4a.

The housing section12aof the disinfectant tray12houses the bottle body31of the disinfectant bottle30shown inFIG. 2. The disinfectant bottle30is a box-shaped bottle body31into which a disinfectant is stored, and the bottle body31includes a rigid portion32and a deformable portion33.

The rigid portion32has a pair of retaining grooves34formed in the middle portion thereof. The retaining grooves34form recessed grooves into which holding sections (see the reference numeral5bofFIG. 4, for example) formed on the disinfectant tray12are disposed, which will be explained later. The rigid portion32is provided with a generally cylindrical mouth portion35at the distal end thereof, the mouth portion35having an opening35afor discharging the stored disinfectant. The mouth portion35may be mounted with a cap36which is shown by a broken line for example.

The mouth portion35is provided with a blocking section37for blocking the opening35a. The blocking section37has a thin-walled portion37aat the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the thin-walled portion37aextends along the entire inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion35.

The deformable portion33forms a bellows shaped portion, and so, in the following explanation of embodiments, the deformable portion33is called as bellows shaped portion33. The bellows shaped portion33is a shrinking portion (seeFIG. 8andFIG. 9which will be explained later) which can be compressed when the bottom end surface38which is at the bottom side opposed to the opening35ais pressed toward the opening35aafter the stored disinfectant is discharged out of the bottle body31.

That is, the bellows shaped portion33is deformable between a first shape with a disinfectant being stored therein and a second compressed shape under a pressure applied to the bottom end surface38after the disinfectant is discharged out of the bottle body31.

As shown inFIG. 3, the chemical tank25is connected to one end of a chemical conduit26. The other end of the chemical conduit26is connected to a bottle disposing section27. The bottle disposing section27is disposed in a predetermined position relationship and state relative to a guide member28. The reference numeral29designates a blocking section opening section, and when the bottle body31housed in the disinfectant tray12is disposed in the bottle disposing section27along the guide member28, the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded by the blocking section opening section29.

The chemical tank25is provided with a volume detecting sensor80including a plurality of electrode sensors81a,81b,81c,81d, and81ewhich have different lengths to detect the volume of a disinfectant stored in the chemical tank25stepwise.

The first electrode sensor81ais an electrode for grounding. The second electrode sensor81bis a first disinfectant level detecting sensor which detects the elevation level of a first disinfectant, and is an electrode which detects the volume of the disinfectant supplied from a first disinfectant bottle30A to the chemical tank25. The third electrode sensor81cis a second disinfectant level detecting sensor which detects the elevation level of a second disinfectant having a different level of concentration, and is an electrode which detects the volume of the disinfectant supplied from a second disinfectant bottle30B to the chemical tank25. The fourth electrode sensor81dis a diluent level detecting sensor, and is an electrode which detects elevation levels of the solution when disinfectants in the bottles30A and30B are diluted with water which is a diluent, and the volume of the water reaches a defined threshold. The fifth electrode sensor81eis an electrode which detects the elevation level of the disinfectant of a minimum volume required to be supplied to the cleaning and disinfecting bath4in cleaning and disinfecting.

The endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1of the embodiment is configured so that the apparatus front surface2fand the front side of the chemical tank25are positioned close to each other for downsizing.

As shown inFIG. 3andFIG. 4, the disinfectant tray12is configured with a first slide member5having a first housing space5aand a second slide member6having a second housing space6a. The housing section12aincludes the first housing space5aof the first slide member5and the second housing space6aof the second slide member6.

The housing section12ahouses the bottle body31having the pair of retaining grooves34formed therein. So, the first housing space5aof the first slide member5in the housing section12ais provided with engaging sections5bto which the pair of retaining grooves34formed in the bottle bodies31A and31B of the disinfectant bottles30A and30B are positioned and mounted. The reference numeral5cdesignates a second slide member sliding surface, on which the second slide member6is slidably disposed. The reference numeral5dis a second slide member contact surface (hereinafter, simply referred to as a contact surface) with which a contact section6bof the second slide member is brought in contact. The contact of the contact section6bof the second slide member6with the contact surface5dcauses the pushing operation of the second slide member6to be stopped, so that a back surface6cof the second slide member6is generally flush with the apparatus front surface2f.

The first slide member5includes rail sections5ewhich are disposed in the sliding grooves2bformed in the apparatus body2and are configured to be slidable relative to the guide member28. While, the second slide member6includes rail sections6dwhich are slidably disposed in elongated grooves (not shown) formed in the first slide member5and are configured to be slidable relative to the first slide member5.

As shown inFIG. 3, the first slide member5is provided with a stopper member40at the outside of the bottom surface at its proximal end. The stopper member40is switching means having a pin41which extends outward and retracts inward in response to the operation of the lever12b. The pin41is configured to extend outward when the lever12bis pressed down from a generally upstanding position to a transversely lying position as shown inFIG. 1. A hole (see the reference numeral42ofFIG. 4) into which the extruded pin41is inserted is formed at a predetermined position outside of the bottom surface of the second slide member6on a side of the contacting section6b.

When the second slide member6is pulled out from the first slide member5by a predetermined distance, the pin41and the hole42are positioned in a facing relationship to each other. With the pin41and the hole42being in the facing relationship, an operation by a user to lay down the lever12causes the pin41to be inserted in the hole42, which integrally secures the second slide member6and the first slide member5rigidly.

That is, the disinfectant tray12of the embodiment is configured to be pulled out forward when a user holds a holding section (not shown) provided to a front surface of the tray and pulls it out. When a user pulls out the disinfectant tray12, the disinfectant tray12is pulled out together with the second slide member6, then the second slide member6and the first slide member5integrally to the front of the apparatus body2.

Specifically, when a user holds the holding section at the tray front surface and pulls it forward, the second slide member6is pulled out by a predetermined distance relative to the first slide member5, so that a falling-off stopper (not shown) at the rail section6dis brought in contact with the proximal end of the elongated groove (not shown). In the contact state, a further pulling operation of the second slide member6forward by a user causes the second slide member6and the first slide member5to be integrally pulled out.

In order to house the bottle body31such as the disinfectant bottles30A and30B into the housing section12aof the pulled disinfectant tray12, a user lays down the lever12in the contact state. Then, the pin41at the stopper member40extends outward to be inserted into the hole42, which integrally secures the second slide member6and the first slide member5. In the integral secured state, when the user holds the holding section at the tray front surface and pulls it forward, the second slide member6and the first slide member5are integrally moved.

In the housing section12aof the embodiment, for example as shown inFIG. 3, the bottle body31A of the disinfectant bottle30A and the bottle body31B of the disinfectant bottle30B can be individually disposed. As compared the bottle body31A with the bottle body31B, the bottle body31B has an entire longitudinal length which is longer than that of the bottle body31A.

Specifically, the bottle bodies31A and31B are configured to have the rigid portions32of the same shape and the same size and the bellows shaped portions33having different lengths. So, when compared the state with the bottle body31B being housed in the housing section12awith the state with the bottle body31A being housed in the housing section12a, the position of the mouth portion35in the housing section12ais in the same position, while a gap from the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7to the bottom end surface38is changed by the difference in the length of the bellows shaped sections33A and34B. In the embodiment, when the bottle body31B is housed in the housing section12a, the bottom end surfaces38comes close to the pressing surfaces7a, while when bottle body31A is housed in the housing section12a, there is a gap between the bottom end surfaces38and the pressing surfaces7a.

Thus, the bellows shaped portion33is conveniently set to have a length in the longitudinal direction of the bottle body31, so that the volume of the bottle body31can be conveniently adjusted.

Actions of the disinfectant bottle30B configured as described above and the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1will be explained below.

First, a user prepares the disinfectant bottle30B for example, in order to supply a disinfectant into a chemical tank25. The user then pulls out the disinfectant tray12as shown in theFIG. 3andFIG. 4.

Next, the user places the bottle body31B in the housing section12aof the disinfectant tray12. At this point, the user mounts the pair of retaining grooves34formed in the bottle body31B to the pair of engaging sections5bof the first slide member5as shown inFIG. 5. This allows the mouth portion35of the bottle body31B to be displaced at a predetermined position in the housing section12a.

Next, the user puts his/her hand onto the tray front surface, that is the back surface6cof the second slide member6, for example, and pushes the disinfectant tray12to cause it to be advanced toward the apparatus body2, in order to make the disinfectant tray12housed in the apparatus body2. This causes the second slide member6and the first slide member5which are integrally secured by the stopper member40to move to be introduced into the guide member28, thereby the bottle body31B housed in the housing section12ais brought in contact with the guide member28.

As the second slide member6and first slide member5further integrally move, the mouth portion35of the bottle body31B is guided toward the bottle disposing section27. And as shown inFIG. 6, the blocking section opening section29provided to the bottle disposing section27is brought in contact with the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37. As the second slide member6and first slide member5are further advanced, the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded by the blocking section opening section29, and at the almost same time the distal end surface of the mouth portion35is brought in contact with the bottom part27aof the bottle disposing section27to stop the advancement of the second slide member6and first slide member5.

In the state, as shown inFIG. 7, the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31B is discharged from the bottle body31B to be supplied into the chemical tank25. When the elevation level of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B, supplied into the chemical tank25reaches the second disinfectant elevation level detected by the third electrode sensor81c, for example, a sound of an alarm is output to report the user that all of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B has been supplied into chemical tank25.

The force which is generated by advancing the second slide member6and the first slide member5is transmitted to the retaining grooves34from the engaging section5b, so that the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded by the blocking section opening section29. Therefore, while the second slide member6and the first slide member5are advanced, no force is applied to the bottom end surface38at all. Also, while the disinfectant is being supplied from the bottle body31B into the chemical tank25, the proximal end of the second slide member6is protruded from the apparatus front surface2f.

After recognizing the discharge of the disinfectant from the bottle body31B with the alarm, the user performs an operation to return the lever12bfrom the horizontal position to the upstanding position. This allows the protruded pin41to be removed out of the hole42so that the temporal security between the second slide member6and the first slide member5is released. That is, the second slide member6is set to be slidable relative to the first slide member5.

At this point, when the user presses the back surface6cagain, the second slide member6is going to be housed in the first slide member5. This causes the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7to be brought in contact with the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31B, which further pushes the second slide member6to be housed into the first slide member5, and the bellows shaped portion33is gradually compressed.

When the contacting section6bof the second slide member6is brought in contact with the contact surface5dof the first slide member5, that is when the back surface6cof the second slide member6is generally flush with the apparatus front surface2f, as shown inFIG. 8andFIG. 9, the second slide member6is housed in the first slide member5and the bellows shaped portion33B is deformed to the shrunk shape which is its second shape.

Also, in the case of housing the bottle body31A into the housing section12a, as in the case described above, the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded through by the blocking section opening section29so that the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31A is discharged from the bottle body31A to be supplied into the chemical tank25. When the elevation level of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B, supplied into the chemical tank25reaches the first disinfectant elevation level detected by the second electrode sensor81b, for example, a sound of a buzzer is output to report the user that all of the disinfectant in the bottle body31A has been supplied into chemical tank25.

After that, the user performs an operation to return the lever12bfrom the horizontal position to the upstanding position to set the second slide member6in a slidable state relative to the first slide member5, so that the user presses the back surface6cagain.

At this point, the length of the bellows shaped portion33A of the bottle body31A in the longitudinal direction is shorter than that of the bellows shaped portion33B of the bottle body31B. So, the second slide member6is housed into the first slide member5without contacting the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31A for a while, and then the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7is brought in contact with the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31A.

As the second slide member6is housed into the first slide member, the bellows shaped portion33A is gradually compressed as in the case described above. When the contacting section6bof the second slide member6is brought in contact with the contact surface5dof the first slide member5, and the back surface6cof the second slide member6is generally flush with the apparatus front surface2f, generally as in the case shown inFIG. 8andFIG. 9, the second slide member6is housed in the first slide member5and the bellows shaped portion33A is deformed to the shrunk shape which is its second shape. At this point, the longitudinal length of the bottle body31A and that of the bottle body31B are generally the same.

The bottle body of the disinfectant bottle is configured in this way with the rigid portion and the deformable portion, thereby the longitudinal length of the bottle body after the disinfectant is discharged from the bottle can be significantly reduced compared to that of the bottle body with the disinfectant being stored in the bottle.

Also the disinfectant tray is configured with the first slide member which is slidable relative to the apparatus body and the second slide member which is slidable relative to the first slide member, thereby when the second slide member is pushed into the first slide member after the disinfectant in the bottle body which is housed in the housing section is discharged, the bellows shaped portion of the bottle body is compressed so that the back surface of the second slide member can be flush with the apparatus front surface.

These configurations allows the apparatus body to have the apparatus front surface and the front surface of the chemical tank closely positioned to each other, which achieves the downsizing of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus.

The rigid portions of the disinfectant bottle are configured to have the same size and the same shape and only the longitudinal lengths of the bellows shaped portions are conveniently set, thereby, although the volume of the bellows shaped portion varies in the first shape depending on the length, the bottle body having the same longitudinal length can be obtained in the second shape with the bellows shaped portion being compressed. This enables the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus to cope with a higher-volume disinfectant bottle therein.

In the above described embodiment, the disinfectant tray12is housed into the apparatus body2by placing a user's hand on the back surface6cof the second slide member6and pressing it. However, the housing of the disinfectant tray12into the apparatus body2is not limited to the manual operation, and the disinfectant tray12may be automatically housed into the apparatus body2.

With reference toFIG. 10toFIG. 12, a structure which makes the disinfectant tray driven to be housed into the apparatus body by a motor will be explained below.

As shown inFIG. 10, the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1A of the embodiment includes a disinfectant tray12having a first slide member5and a second slide member6, and an apparatus body2having a first moving mechanism8for causing the first slide member5of the disinfectant tray12to be retracted and a second moving mechanism9for causing the second slide member6to be retracted.

The first moving mechanism8and the second moving mechanism9are configured with drive motors8aand9a, pulleys8band9b, driving force transmission belt8cand9c, and operation chains8dand9d, respectively. The drive motor8ais rotated to generate a rotary force which is transmitted to the pulley8bto rotate via the driving force transmission belt8c, which causes the slide member5to be moved by the operation chain8dto be housed into a predetermined position. The drive motor9ais rotated to generate a rotary force which is transmitted to the pulley9bto rotate via the driving force transmission belt9c, which causes the slide member6to be moved by the operation chain9dto be housed into a predetermined position.

The reference numeral51designates a first sensor which detects the presence or absence of the bottle body31in the housing section12a. The reference numeral52designates a second sensor which detects if the mouth portion35of the bottle body31housed in the housing section12ais disposed in the bottle disposing section27in a predetermined way. The reference numeral53designates a locking mechanism which can switch the fixing pin54in an extended state into a retracted state under a control of a controlling section (not shown). The fixing pin54is caused to protrude outward by the bias of a spring (not shown). When the fixing pin54protrudes outward, a signal for informing the controlling section of the protrusion is output.

Now, the slide members5and6which are caused to be moved by the moving mechanisms8and9will be explained below.

First, a user operates a button for preparing a disinfectant in order to supply the disinfectant. Then a control based on a disinfectant preparing program is initiated, and under a control of the controlling section (not shown), the fixing pin54which has made the disinfectant tray12locked is released.

Then the user pulls out the disinfectant tray12as shown inFIG. 3andFIG. 4. At this point, the first slide member5and the second slide member6are integrally secured to each other by a stopper member40A having an electromagnet for example, under a control of the controlling section (not shown).

Next, the user makes inside of the housing section12aempty, and places the bottle body31in the housing section12aof the disinfectant tray12. Then the first sensor51detects that the bottle body31is placed in the housing section12a.

Now, under a control of the controlling section, the first moving mechanism8is brought into a driving state. That is, the first drive motor8ais driven to start traction by using the first operation chain8dto move the second slide member6and the first slide member5which are integrally secured to each other by the stopper member40A into the guide member28. As the first operation chain8dmoves, the mouth portion35of the bottle body31is guided into the bottle disposing section27.

After that, when the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded by a blocking section opening section (not shown) which is provided at the bottle disposing section27, generally at the same time, the distal end surface of the first slide member5contacts the second sensor52. Then a detecting signal is output from the second sensor52to the controlling section, and then under a control of the controlling section, the driving of the first drive motor8ais stopped so that the advancing of the second slide member6and the first slide member5is stopped.

In this state, as shown inFIG. 7, the disinfectant in the bottle body31is supplied into the chemical tank25. When the elevation level of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B, supplied into the chemical tank25reaches a predetermined elevation level, for example, a detecting signal is output from the second electrode sensor81bto the controlling section.

The controlling section controls the dilution of the disinfectant, while controlling to release the secured state of the stopper member40A, and then causes the second moving mechanism9to be driven. That is, the second drive motor9ais driven to start traction by using the second operation chain9dto move the second slide member6relative to the first slide member5. As the second operation chain9dmoves, the second slide member6is housed into the first slide member5so that the shaped portion33of the bottle body31is gradually compressed.

When the second slide member6is housed in the first slide member5in a predetermined way, at the same time, the fixing pin54of the locking mechanism53is protruded to fixedly hold the second slide member6. At this point, a detecting signal is output from the locking mechanism53to the controlling section, so that under control of the controlling section, the driving of the second drive motor9ais stopped. Then based on the detecting signal which is output from the fourth electrode sensor81dto the controlling section, the control based on the disinfectant preparing program is stopped.

In the above described embodiment, the first slide member5and the second slide member6are moved by the moving mechanisms8and9respectively, but the members5and6may be configured so that only the second slide member6is moved by the moving mechanism9.

Also in the above described embodiment, the disinfectant tray12is provided with the lever12bso that an operation of the lever12bswitches between the integral state of the first slide member5and the second slide member6and the slidable state of first slide member5relative to the second slide member6. However, the members5and6may be configured so that a disinfectant in the bottle body may be supplied to a chemical tank without providing the lever12bto the disinfectant tray12, as explained below.

Now, the embodiment will be explained below.

In the embodiment, in supplying the disinfectant in the bottle body31to a chemical tank, as explained below, the blocking section37is opened in a state with the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7being in contact with the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31. So, in the embodiment, the bellows shaped portion33of the bottle body31is configured to be thicker than that of the bellows shaped portion33of the bottle body31in the above described embodiment in order to increase its rigidity. Other configurations of the bottle body31are similar to those of the above described embodiment.

Meanwhile, as shown inFIG. 13andFIG. 14, a disinfectant tray12A of the embodiment is configured with a first slide member5A and a second slide member6A.

As shown inFIG. 13, the first slide member5A is not provided with the stopper member40which was provided at the outside of the bottom surface of the first slide member5at its proximal end. In the second slide member6A, due to the configuration without the stopper member40at the first slide member5A, the hole42in which the protruded pin41is inserted in response to the operation of the lever12b, and the lever12bfor operating the pin41at the stopper member40are eliminated.

The other configurations are similar to those of the above described embodiment, and the similar members are given similar reference numerals, and will not be explained below.

In the embodiment, a user prepares a disinfectant bottle30B for example in order to supply a disinfectant to the chemical tank25. Then the user pulls out the disinfectant tray12A. As the disinfectant tray12A being pulled by the user, the second slide member6A is pulled out relative to the first slide member5A by a predetermined distance, so that a falling-off stopper (not shown) of the rail section6dis brought in contact with the near side end of the elongated groove (not shown). In the contact state, as the user continues to pull out the second slide member6A forward, the second slide member6A and the first slide member5A are integrally pulled out.

Next, the user places the bottle body31B in the housing section12aof the disinfectant tray12. At this point, similar toFIG. 11, the user mounts the pair of retaining grooves34formed in the bottle body31B to the pair of engaging sections5bprovided to the first slide member5A. This allows the mouth portion35of the bottle body31B to be placed at a predetermined position in the housing section12a.

Next, in order to house the disinfectant tray12A into the apparatus body2, for example the user puts his/her hand on the tray front surface, that is the back surface6cof the second slide member6A, to advance the second slide member6A toward the apparatus body2. Then the second slide member6A is moved relative to the first slide member5A so that the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7is brought in contact with the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31. Then, the force which is generated by the user who pushes the back surface6cis transmitted to the bottle body31B, the retaining grooves34, and the engaging sections5b, so that the second slide member6A and the first slide member5A are integrally introduced into the guide member28.

As the user further presses the back surface6cof the second slide member6A, the second slide member6A and the first slide member5A are integrally moved, as shown in theFIG. 6, so that the blocking section opening section29provided to the bottle disposing section27is brought in contact with the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37. At this point, the user continues to press the back surface of the second slide member6A, thereby the generated force is continuously transmitted to the engaging sections5bvia the bottle body31B. As the second slide member6A and the first slide member5A integrally move, the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37is detruded by the blocking section opening section29, and at almost the same time, the distal end surface of the mouth portion35is brought in contact with the bottom27aof the bottle disposing section27. Then, the user stops pressing the back surface of the second slide member6A.

In the state, the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31B is discharged from the bottle body31B, and is supplied into the chemical tank25. When the elevation level of the disinfectant supplied into the chemical tank25from the bottle body31B reaches a second disinfectant elevation level which is detected by the third electrode sensor81c, for example, a sound of a buzzer is output to report the user that all of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B has been supplied into chemical tank25.

After the user confirms the discharge of the disinfectant in the bottle body31B with the buzzer, the user presses the back surface6cagain. Then, as the retaining grooves34are held by the engaging sections5b, the second slide member6is moved relative to the first slide member5, which causes the pressing surface7aof the pressing member7to press the bottom end surface38to gradually compress the bellows shaped portion33B. When the contacting section6bof the second slide member6A is brought in contact with the contact surface5dof the first slide member5A, that is when the back surface6cof the second slide member6A is generally flush with the apparatus front surface2f, the bellows shaped portion33B is deformed into the shrunk shape which is its second shape.

In this way, the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus is configured so that the bellows shaped portion of the bottle body has an increased thickness, while the stopper member is removed from the first slide member, and the lever and the hole into which the pin extended in response to the lever operation is inserted are eliminated from the second slide member. This allows the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus, in which the movement of the second slide member and the first slide member causes a disinfectant in the bottle body to be supplied to a chemical tank and causes the bellows shaped portion of the bottle body to be compressed, to have a simple structure.

The other actions and effects are similar to those of the above described embodiment.

With reference toFIG. 15toFIG. 21, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained below.

As shown inFIG. 15, an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1B is an apparatus for cleaning and disinfecting a used endoscope, and includes an apparatus body2A, and a top cover3A which is connected to the top of the apparatus body2A in an openable and closable manner.

The apparatus body2A and the top cover3A are positioned in a facing relationship to each other, and the top cover3A is configured to close the endoscope housing port of the cleaning and disinfecting bath which is provided to the apparatus body2A by means of a latch3bfor example which is provided to the top cover3A.

An opening60aof a feeding port60is provided in an upper surface2uof the apparatus body2A on the opposite side of the apparatus front surface2fwhere an operator comes close. The feeding port60is configured with a holding section61and a connecting section (see the reference numeral62ofFIG. 17), and the opening60aof the feeding port60is formed adjacent to the endoscope housing port. The holding section61of the feeding port60is configured to hold the mouth portion35C of the bottle body31C. Meanwhile, the connecting section62of the feeding port60is configured to connect one end of the chemical conduit64for supplying a disinfectant to a chemical tank63.

The mouth portion35C of the bottle body31C shown inFIG. 15andFIG. 16is mounted to the holding section61of the apparatus body2A. The disinfectant bottle30C includes a transparent or semi-transparent cylindrical-shaped bottle body31C having a light transmittance into which a disinfectant is stored, and the bottle body31C is provided with a rigid portion32C and a bellows shaped portion33C.

The rigid portion32C has a distal end which is provided with a generally cylindrical mouth portion35C having an opening35afrom which the stored disinfectant is discharged. The mouth portion35C may be configured to mount a cap36C thereto for example, which is shown in a broken line.

The mouth portion35C is provided with a blocking section (see the reference numeral37C ofFIG. 17) therein for blocking the opening35a. The blocking section37has a thin-walled portion37aat the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the thin-walled portion37aextends along the entire inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion35C.

The bellows shaped portion33C is a shrinking portion (seeFIG. 20) which can be compressed upon being pressed at the bottom end surface38of the bottom side opposed to the opening35a, toward the opening35aafter the stored disinfectant is discharged out of the bottle body31C. That is, the bellows shaped portion33C is deformable between a first shape with a disinfectant being stored therein and a second shape compressed upon being pressed at the bottom end surface38after the disinfectant is discharged out of the bottle body31C.

As shown inFIG. 17, the connecting portion62of the feeding port60includes a thicker diameter portion62aand a thinner diameter portion62b. There is provided a step portion inner surface at the boundary between the thicker diameter portion62aand the thinner diameter portion62b, the step portion inner surface being a positioning surface62cwith which the distal end surface of the mouth portion35C is brought in contact.

The thicker diameter portion62ahas one end at which a bent portion62dis formed, and the bent portion62dis integrally fixed to the upper surface2uof the apparatus body2A by a fastening member such as a screw (not shown). This configuration makes the connecting section62integrally fixed to a predetermined position of the apparatus body2A in a rigid manner.

The thicker diameter portion62ahas an outer circumferential surface to which a coupling member65is bonded and fixed by welding, soldering, or the like, and to the coupling member65is coupled an opening at one end of the chemical conduit64. An opening at the other end of the chemical conduit64is mounted to be exposed in the chemical tank63. Meanwhile, the thinner diameter portion62bof the connecting section62has an inner circumferential surface to which a tube portion66eof the blocking section opening section66is integrally bonded and fixed by spot welding or the like. The blocking section opening section66is configured with a blade portion66a, an extended surface portion66b, a pressing portion66c, a relief portion66d, and the tube portion66e, in the order from one end thereof. The above described blocking section opening section29has a configuration similar to that of the blocking section opening section66.

Meanwhile, the holding section61which constitutes the feeding port60is a tubular member, and has a through hole therein which is in communication with an inner bore of the thicker diameter portion62a. The holding section61is integrally fixed to the upper surface2uof the apparatus body2A by soldering for example. The through hole of the holding section61is provided with an O-ring67to keep it watertight. The O-ring67has a configuration to closely contact the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion35C.

Actions of the disinfectant bottle30C and the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1B which has the configuration described above will be explained below.

First, a user prepares the disinfectant bottle30C in order to supply a disinfectant to a chemical tank63. The user then arranges the mouth portion35C of the bottle body31C in the holding section61of the feeding port60. At this point, the user inserts the mouth portion35C through the opening60awhich is the through hole of the holding section61. When the mouth portion35C is inserted through the through hole of the holding section61, the O-ring67closely contacts the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion35C, which increases insertion resistance.

Then, the user inserts the distal end surface of the mouth portion35C against the elastic stiffness of the O-ring67toward the positioning surface62c. After the insertion, the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37C is brought in contact with the blade portion66aof the blocking section opening section66. The user advances the mouth portion35C against the elastic stiffness of the O-ring67and the resistance of the blocking section37C. This makes the thin-walled portion37aof the blocking section37C detruded by the blocking section opening section66as shown inFIG. 18, which in turn causes the disinfectant to be supplied into the chemical tank63via the chemical conduit64coupled to the coupling member65. At this point, the O-ring67closely contacts the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion35C to keep it watertight. Almost at the same time as the blocking section37C is detruded, the distal end surface of the mouth portion35C is brought in contact with the positioning surface62c, thereby the mouth portion35C is stopped being advanced to complete the attachment of the bottle body31C to the feeding port60.

With the bottle body31C being attached to the feeding port60, the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31C is discharged from the bottle body31C and supplied into the chemical tank63. When the user visually checks that all of the disinfectant has been discharged from the bottle body31C, as shown inFIG. 19, the user presses the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31C by his/her hand for example in the direction shown by an arrow.

Then, the bellows shaped portion33C in the first shape is gradually compressed to be deformed into a shrunk shape which is its second shape as shown inFIG. 20. In this way, the bottle body31C having the bellows shaped portion33C deformed in the second shape is rested on the upper surface2uof the apparatus body2A.

The above structure allows the opening60ato be kept closed by the bottle body31C without providing any other lid member.

When the top cover3A is opened and closed for housing the endoscope via the endoscope housing port into the cleaning and disinfecting bath for example, since the bellows shaped portion33C of the bottle body31C which is closing the opening60ais already deformed into the second shape, any contact between the edge portion of the top cover3A toward the bottle side (see the reference numeral3cofFIG. 15for example) and the bottle body31C which may disturb the opening and closing of the top cover3A can be prevented.

Specifically, as shown inFIG. 20andFIG. 21, when the bellows shaped portion33C of the bottle body31C is in the first shape as shown by a chain double-dashed line, in moving the top cover3A from the closed position to the opened position as shown by an arrow (seeFIG. 20), the edge3cof the top cover3A is brought in contact with the bellows shaped portion33C of the bottle body31C in the first shape, which may lower the operability. To the contrary, when the bellows shaped portion33C is deformed into the second shape, the contact between the edge3cof the top cover3A and the bottle body31C can be prevented.

In this way, the bottle body which is a type to be rested on the upper surface of the apparatus body is provided with a rigid portion and a bellows shaped portion, and the bellows shaped portion is deformed into the second shape while the bottle body is rested, so that the top cover can be smoothly opened and closed. Therefore, the outer contour of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1C can be reduced by the lateral size W, compared to the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1D which is configured to dispose the bottle body31having the first shape at a position that does not disturb the opening and closing of the top cover as shown by a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 21and has the size shown by another chain double-dashed line inFIG. 21.

Moreover, since the bottle body is configured to supply a disinfectant into a chemical tank when it is attached to a feeding port which has an opening formed in the upper surface of the apparatus body, a disinfectant tray having a housing section into which a disinfectant bottle is to be housed can be eliminated from the apparatus body, which implements a further downsizing of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus.

If a cap for air vent is provided at the bottom for example of the bottle body31C in the state of the bottle body31C being attached to the feeding port60, a disinfectant in the bottle body31C can be more smoothly supplied into the chemical tank63.

A bottle body having another configuration will be explained below with reference toFIG. 22andFIG. 23.

As shown inFIG. 22, in the bottle body31C of the embodiment, the bellows shaped portion33C has a thin-walled portion38aprovided at the center of the bottom end surface38. The thin-walled portion38ais configured to mount a cap for air vent (hereinafter, referred to as an air vent cap)39thereto.

The air vent cap39includes a blade portion39ahaving a thinner diameter and a housing portion39bhaving a thicker diameter. The housing portion39bis provided with a recess39cto which two filters are disposed, and the blade portion39ais provided with a through hole39dwhich is in communication with the recess39cand the exterior.

A first filter39ehas a porous waterproofing feature to prevent any leakage of the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31C to the exterior and, a second filter39fprevents leakage of the smell of the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31C to the exterior. The porous waterproofing filter allows gases to pass therethrough, and is configured with an expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE) for example which has high water repellency without capillary, due to its large water contact angle.

Actions of the air vent cap39will be explained below.

In attaching the bottle body31C to the feeding port60, a user inserts the blade portion39aof the air vent cap39into the thin-walled portion38aof the bottle body31C in advance. The user then attaches the bottle body31C having the air vent cap39mounted thereto to the feeding port60as described above. Then, the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31C is discharged from the bottle body31C to be supplied into the chemical tank63.

In the embodiment, the air vent cap39mounted to the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31C allows the disinfectant stored in the bottle body31C to be more smoothly discharged from the bottle body31C.

Next, after the user visually confirms the discharge of the disinfectant from the bottle body31C, the user puts his/her hand on the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31C to deform the bellows shaped portion33C into a shrunk shape which is its second shape as shown inFIG. 23, and leaves the bottle body31C rested on the feeding port60of the apparatus body2A.

In this way, since the air vent cap mounted to the bottom end surface of the bottle body allows the air in the bottle body31C, which is disposed with its mouth portion being directed vertically downward, to be quickly discharged to the exterior via the air vent cap, the disinfectant in the bottle body can be quickly supplied to the chemical tank.

The first filter and the second filter provided to the air vent cap make it possible to prevent leakage of the disinfectant stored in the bottle body to the exterior and the smell of the disinfectant stored in the bottle body to the exterior.

Furthermore, the bottle body has the air vent cap and is rested on the feeding port with the bellows shaped portion being shrunk into its second shape, which prevents leakage of the smell of the disinfectant stored in the bottle body to the exterior.

In the case of the above described bottle body31C, a user, who did not visually check the disinfectant, may press the bottom end surface38of the bottle body31C by mistake before all of the disinfectant in the bottle body31C is discharged from the bottle. In this case, the disinfectant in the bottle body31C rapidly flows through the opening35a, which may result in some leakage of the disinfectant from the feeding port60to the exterior.

In order to avoid the trouble, in attaching the bottle body31C to the feeding port60, a protection frame68shown inFIG. 24is mounted. The protection frame68is a cylinder-shaped frame body, and is formed of a rigid and clear resin material which is optically transparent. So, with the bottle body31C being covered with the protection frame, a user can visually check the remained volume of the disinfectant in the bottle body31C.

In this way, at the stage where the bottle body is attached to the feeding port, by covering the bottle body with the protection frame, the trouble that a user may press the bottom end surface of the bottle body by mistake during the disinfectant in the bottle body is being supplied to the chemical tank can be avoided without fail.

With reference toFIG. 25toFIG. 27, a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained below.

As shown inFIG. 25, an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus1E of the embodiment includes an apparatus body2B having an upper surface2uto which a flexible tube70is mounted, the flexible tube70can be deformed into a desired bent shape and can keep the bent shape. The flexible tube70has a distal end portion to which an aperture mounting port71having a configuration similar to that of the feeding port60shown inFIG. 17is mounted.

The flexible tube70is set to have a length so that, when the flexible tube70is bent at its center to make the central axis A1of the opening at one end and the central axis A2of the opening at the other end generally orthogonally cross as shown by a chain double-dashed line, an end surface72at the opening at the other end is generally flush with a side surface2sof the apparatus body2B.

Actions of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus IE which is provided with the above described flexible tube70will be explained below.

As shown inFIG. 25, with the flexible tube70being generally upstanding, a mouth portion (not shown) of the bottle body is attached to the aperture mounting port71.

Next, as shown inFIG. 26, with the bottle body31D being attached, the flexible tube70is bent at the middle point thereof to incline a part of the flexible tube70closer to the aperture mounting port71, by about 60 degrees for example, relative to the central axis A1, thereby providing a posture which informs that the disinfectant is being supplied.

In the state, a part of the bottle body31D closer to its proximal end protrudes out of the contour of the apparatus body2B, which prevents the workability of a user who works around the apparatus from being lowered.

Then, after the user checks that all of the disinfectant is discharged from the bottle body31D, as shown inFIG. 27, the user bends the flexible tube70at its middle point to make the central axis A1and the central axis A2generally orthogonally crossed. This prevents the contact of the top cover3A with the bottle body31D which disturbs work operations of a user when the top cover3A is opened or closed.

The present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.