Patent Publication Number: US-2019193122-A1

Title: Endoscope system for cleaning

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure belongs to the technical field of industrial endoscopes, and in particular relates to an endoscope system for cleaning. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The endoscope is a hose electronic device equipped with a camera for transmitting images that are difficult for human eyes to directly observe to the display screen. It is not only used in the medical field, but also used in industrial fields, such as device inspection, metal flaw detection, and so on. 
     In order to perform cleaning, painting and the like on a specific area, an existing type of endoscope can perform cleaning or painting by providing a cleaning tube and a liquid storage bottle to spray a specific area. However, the existing endoscope device for cleaning has the following deficiencies: 
     1. There are many additional devices for the endoscope body, such as the liquid storage device, which affects the operator&#39;s manipulation of the endoscope body and is not conducive to its manipulation; 
     2. The flow rate of the cleaning fluid produced by the endoscope device is not well controlled and the pressure is low, thereby affecting the cleaning effect, while simply increasing the liquid pressure causes waste of the cleaning fluid. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the problem that the existing endoscope cleaning device has insufficient maneuverability and poor adjustability, the present disclosure provides an endoscope system for cleaning. 
     The technical solution adopted by the present disclosure to solve the above technical problems is as follows: 
     an endoscope system for cleaning is provided, including: a hand-held endoscope and a console. The console is provided with an air pump, an air inlet pathway, a liquid storage bottle, a liquid inlet pathway, a three-way connecting member and an air-liquid pathway. The three-way connecting member is respectively connected to the air inlet pathway, the liquid inlet pathway and the air-liquid pathway. An end of the air inlet pathway which is remote from the three-way connecting member is connected to the air pump; an end of the liquid inlet pathway which is remote from the three-way connector is connected to the liquid storage bottle; and the liquid inlet pathway is provided with a liquid inlet pump. The hand-held endoscope is provided with a camera and a cleaning nozzle, the hand-held endoscope and the air-liquid pathway are communicated with each other through a liquid guiding hose, and the cleaning nozzle is communicated with the liquid guiding hose. 
     Furthermore, the console is further provided with an air charging pathway, one end of the air charging pathway is communicated with the air inlet pathway, and the other end of the air charging pathway is located outside the console and is connected with an air charging joint. 
     Furthermore, the console is further provided with a liquid inlet pump switch for controlling the liquid inlet pump, an air pump switch for controlling the air pump, and a pressure gauge for monitoring an air pressure of the air pump. 
     Furthermore, the air charging pathway is provided with an air charging valve, the air inlet pathway is provided with an air inlet valve, the liquid inlet pathway is provided with a liquid inlet valve, the air-liquid pathway is provided with an air-liquid valve, and the console is correspondingly provided with an air charging valve switch for controlling opening and closing of the air charging valve, an air inlet valve switch for controlling opening and closing of the air inlet valve, and a liquid inlet valve switch for controlling opening and closing of the liquid inlet valve, an air-liquid valve switch. 
     Furthermore, the console is further provided with a battery pack for power supply, a power control module, and a power switch for controlling the power control module, the battery pack is electrically connected to the power control module, and the power control module is provided with a power line, one end of the power line is connected to the power control module, and the other end of the power line extends to an outside of the console and is connected with a power plug. 
     Furthermore, the hand-held endoscope is electrically connected to the console through a power supply line, one end of the power supply line is connected to the hand-held endoscope, and the other end of the power supply line is detachably connected to the power control module. 
     Furthermore, the hand-held endoscope includes a flexible tube, a hand-held end and a receiving end. The flexible tube includes a head end and a tail end, and the camera and the cleaning nozzle are disposed at the head end of the flexible tube, and the flexible tube is internally provided with a liquid tube for inputting liquid and a signal transmission line for signal transmission, the signal transmission line is electrically connected to the camera, and one end of the liquid tube is communicated with the cleaning nozzle, and the other end of the liquid tube is communicated with the liquid guiding hose; the tail end of the flexible tube is connected to the hand-held end through the liquid tube and the signal transmission line therein; the hand-held end is in wired or wireless communication with the receiving end. 
     Furthermore, the air-liquid pathway is provided with an air-liquid valve, and the hand-held end is provided with an air-liquid valve switch by which opening and closing of the air-liquid valve is controlled. 
     Furthermore, a plurality of LED lamps are disposed on an outer circumference of the camera, the LED lamps is connected to the signal transmission line inside the flexible tube, and the hand-held end is provided with an LED control button. 
     Furthermore, the hand-held end is provided with a communication module for exchanging signals with the camera and the receiving end, respectively; the communication module includes a wired communication module and a wireless communication module; the hand-held end is provided with a clamping seat, and the receiving end is provided with a clamping groove, the clamping seat is electrically connected to the wired communication module, and the clamping groove is electrically connected to the receiving end. When the receiving end is connected to the clamping groove of the hand-held end through the clamping seat, the receiving end and the hand-held end are in wired communication. When the receiving end is separated from the hand-held end, the receiving end and the hand-held end are in wireless communication, and the wireless communication module is provided with a transmitting frequency band switch, the receiving end is provided with a receiving frequency band switch. 
     According to the endoscope system for cleaning provided by the present disclosure, the air pump, the air inlet pathway, the liquid storage bottle, the liquid inlet pathway, and so on, are collectively integrated through the console, thereby separating the hand-held endoscope from the console in order to reduce the weight of the hand-held endoscope, and improving the operability of the endoscope system by controlling the operation of ventilation and liquid instillation through the console. In the console, the first-level pressurization by the liquid inlet pump is performed to pump the liquid in the liquid storage bottle into the liquid inlet pathway, and the end of the liquid inlet pathway is connected to the air inlet pathway, and the high pressure air is applied through the air inlet pathway to perform second-level pressurization on the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed under high pressure, thereby facilitating to improve the cleaning effect of the cleaning liquid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic structural view of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a simplified structural view of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic structural view of a hand-held endoscope of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an end face of a flexible tube of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic structural view of a hand-held end of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic structural view of a receiving end of an endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view showing the receiving end of the endoscope system for cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The reference numerals in the drawings are as follows:  1 , hand-held endoscope;  11 , liquid guiding hose;  12 , power supply line;  13 , flexible tube;  131 , liquid tube;  132 , tube joint;  133 , signal transmission line;  134 , video signal connector;  135 , camera;  136 , LED lamp;  137 , cleaning nozzle;  14 , hand-held end;  141 , tube connecting seat;  142 , video signal connecting seat;  143 , LED control button;  144 , clamping seat;  145 , transmitting frequency band switch;  146 , air-liquid valve switch;  15 , receiving end;  151 , clamping groove;  152 , receiving frequency band switch;  153 , display screen;  154 , function button;  155 , receiving end switch button;  2 , console;  21 , pressure gauge;  23  power switch;  23 , air charging valve switch;  24 , air pump switch;  25 , air inlet valve switch;  26 , air inlet pump switch;  27 , liquid inlet valve switch;  28 , battery pack;  29 , power control module;  291 , power line;  292 , power plug;  3 , air pump;  4 , air inlet pathway;  41 , air inlet valve;  42 , three-way tube;  5 , liquid storage bottle;  6 , liquid inlet pathway;  61 , liquid inlet pump;  62 , liquid inlet valve;  7 , three-way connecting member;  8 , air-liquid pathway;  81 , air-liquid valve;  9 , air charging pathway;  91 , air charging valve;  92 , air charging joint. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the embodiment discloses an endoscope system for cleaning, including a hand-held endoscope  1  and a console  2 . The console  2  is provided with an air pump  3 , an air inlet pathway  4 , a liquid storage bottle  5 , a liquid inlet pathway  6 , a three-way connecting member  7 , and an air-liquid pathway  8 . The three-way connecting member  7  is respectively connected to the air inlet pathway  4 , the liquid inlet pathway  6  and the air-liquid pathway  8 . An end of the air inlet pathway  4  which is remote from the three-way connecting member  7  is connected to the air pump  3  by which the air is compressed and pressurized. The pressurized high pressure air enters the three-way connecting member  7  through the air inlet pathway  4 . An end of the liquid inlet pathway  6  which is remote from the three-way connecting member  7  is connected to the liquid storage bottle  5 . The liquid inlet pathway  6  is provided with a liquid inlet pump  61  by which the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage bottle  5  is pumped out for first-level pressurization. The pressurized cleaning liquid enters the three-way connecting member  7  through the liquid inlet pathway  6 . The high pressure air performs second-level pressurization on the cleaning liquid at the three-way connecting member  7 , and simultaneously atomizes the cleaning liquid such that the cleaning liquid can be sprayed evenly and with a certain impact pressure to the position needed to be cleaned, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the cleaning liquid and reducing the usage of cleaning liquid. 
     The hand-held endoscope  1  is provided with a camera  135  and a cleaning nozzle  137 . The hand-held endoscope  1  and the air-liquid pathway  8  are connected to each other by providing a liquid guiding hose  11 , and the cleaning nozzle  137  is communicated with the liquid guiding hose  11 . It should be noted that the communication between the cleaning nozzle  137  and the liquid guiding hose  11  may be a direct connection or an indirect connection, wherein the indirect connection refers to guiding the liquid guiding hose  11  to the cleaning nozzle  137  by providing an additional tube. The hand-held endoscope  1  is separated from the console  2  to reduce the weight of the hand-held endoscope  1 , and the operability of the endoscope system is improved by controlling the operation of ventilation and liquid instillation through the console  2 . 
     In the embodiment, the console  2  is further provided with an air charging pathway  9 , an end of the air charging pathway  9  is communicated with the air inlet pathway  4 , and the air inlet pathway  4  is provided with a three-way tube  42 . The three-way tube  42  is connected to both ends of the air inlet pathway  4  and the air charging pathway  9 , respectively, and the other end of the air charging pathway  9  is located outside the console  2  and is connected with an air charging joint  92 . The air charging joint  92  is used to inflate the external device, such as tires, basketball, swimming rings, and so on. On the other hand, by setting the air charging pathway  9 , the air pressure of the air inlet pathway  4  can be diverted when necessary, thereby achieving the pressure control of the second-level pressurization of the cleaning liquid. The air inlet pathway  4  can also be supplied with air through an external air tube connecting with the air charging joint  92 . 
     In the present embodiment, the console  2  is a box structure, and the air pump  3 , the air inlet pathway  4 , the liquid inlet pathway  6 , the three-way connecting member  7  and the air-liquid pathway  8  are located inside the console  2 . The liquid storage bottle  5  is located outside the console  2  to facilitate replacement of the liquid storage bottle  5 . The liquid storage bottle  5  can store a functional liquid such as a cleaning liquid, a paint or a disinfectant. 
     The console  2  is provided with a liquid inlet pump switch  26  for controlling the liquid inlet pump  61 , an air pump switch  24  for controlling the air pump  3 , and a pressure gauge  21  for monitoring the air pressure of the air pump  3 . The air pump switch  24  and the pressure gauge  21  are provided on the top surface of the console  2 . 
     The air charging pathway  9  is provided with an air charging valve  91 . The air inlet pathway  4  is provided with an air inlet valve  41 . The liquid inlet pathway  6  is provided with a liquid inlet valve  62 . The console  2  is correspondingly provided with an air charging valve switch  23  for controlling opening and closing of the air charging valve  91 , an air inlet valve switch  25  for controlling opening and closing of the air inlet valve  41 , and a liquid inlet valve switch  27  for controlling opening and closing of the liquid inlet valve  62 . The air charging valve switch  23 , the air inlet valve switch  25  and the liquid inlet valve switch  27  are provided on the top surface of the console  2 . 
     The console  2  is further provided with a battery pack  28  for power supply, a power control module  29 , and a power switch  22  for controlling the power control module  29 . The battery pack  28  and the power control module  29  are electrically connected with each other. The power control module  29  is provided with a power line  291 . One end of the power line  291  is connected to the power control module  29 , and the other end extends to the outside of the console  2  and is connected with a power plug  292 . The power plug  292  is connected to an external power socket to supply power to the console  2  to drive the air pump  3 , the liquid inlet pump  61  and various types of valves in the console  2  to operate. The air charging valve  91 , the air inlet valve  41 , and the liquid inlet valve  62  and the air-liquid valve  81  are preferably solenoid valves. 
     The hand-held endoscope  1  is electrically connected to the console  2  by providing a power supply line  12 . Specifically, one end of the power supply line  12  is connected to the hand-held endoscope  1 , and the other end is detachably connected to the power control module  29 . One end of the liquid guiding hose  11  is connected to the hand-held endoscope  1  and the other end is detachably connected to the air-liquid pathway  8 . That is, the hand-held endoscope  1  is detachably connected to the console  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the hand-held endoscope  1  includes a flexible tube  13 , a hand-held end  14  and a receiving end  15 . 
     The flexible tube  13  has a head end and a tail end. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the camera  135  and the cleaning nozzle  137  are disposed at the head end of the flexible tube  13 , and the flexible tube  13  is internally provided with a liquid tube  131  for inputting liquid and a signal transmission line  133  for signal transmission. The signal transmission line  133  is electrically connected to the camera  135 , and the liquid tube  131  is communicated with the cleaning nozzle  137 . 
     The tail end of the flexible tube  13  is connected to the hand-held end  14  through the liquid tube  131  and the signal transmission line  133  therein. Specifically, most of the liquid tube  131  and the signal transmission line  133  are wrapped in the flexible tube  13 . The liquid tube  131  and the signal transmission line  133  at the tail end of the flexible tube  13  are branched to extend out to form an independent liquid tube  131  and an independent signal transmission line  133  which are connected to the hand-held end  14 . The hand-held end  14  is connected to the receiving end  15  by wire or wirelessly, and the camera  135  collects the video image of the flexible tube  13  in its operating space and transmits the video image to the hand-held end  14  via the signal transmission line  133 , and then transcodes and transmits the video image to the receiving end  15  via the hand-held end  14 . The receiving end  15  is provided with a display screen  153 . The display screen  153  displays the video image, so that the operator can understand the image condition of the inspection position of the device, thereby determining whether dirt, clogging, or falling of the paint film occurs. After the problem is determined, the cleaning nozzle  137  on the head end of the flexible tube  13  may perform dirt removal, lacquering, and the like. 
     The air-liquid pathway  8  is provided with an air-liquid valve  81 , and the hand-held end  14  is provided with an air-liquid valve switch  146 , and the air-liquid valve switch  146  is electrically connected to the air-liquid valve  81  through the power supply line  12 . The opening and closing of the air-liquid valve  81  is controlled by the air-liquid valve switch  146 . 
     When a separate liquid flushing is performed, the liquid inlet valve  62  is controlled to be opened by the liquid inlet valve switch  27  on the console  2 , while the liquid inlet pump  61  is controlled to operate by the liquid inlet pump switch  26 , and then by pressing the air-liquid valve switch  146 , the air-liquid valve  81  is controlled to be opened or closed, and the liquid inlet pump  61  extracts the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage bottle  5  for liquid cleaning operation. 
     When a separate air flushing is performed, the air pump  3  is controlled to operate by the air pump switch  24  on the console  2 , while the air inlet valve  41  is controlled to be opened by the air inlet valve switch  25 , and then by pressing the air-liquid valve switch  146 , the air-liquid valve  81  is controlled to be opened or closed, and the air pump  3  produces high pressure air and purging is performed by using air through the cleaning nozzle  137 . 
     When the liquid atomization cleaning is performed, the liquid inlet valve  62  is controlled to be opened by the liquid inlet valve switch  27  on the console  2 , and the liquid inlet pump  61  is controlled to operate by the liquid inlet pump switch  26 , the air pump  3  is controlled to operate by the air pump switch  24  on the console  2 , and at the same time the air inlet valve  41  is controlled to be opened by the air inlet valve switch  25 , and then the air-liquid valve  81  is controlled to be opened or closed by pressing the air-liquid valve switch  146 . The cleaning liquid in the liquid storage bottle  5  is extracted by the liquid inlet pump  61  for first-level pressurization, and the air pump  3  produces high pressure air to perform second-level pressurization on the cleaning liquid to realize a mixed cleaning function of air and liquid. 
     With the above arrangement, the states of the liquid inlet valve  62 , the liquid inlet pump  61 , the air inlet valve  41 , and the air pump  3  can be set before the cleaning or purging operation, and the subsequent cleaning or purging operation is performed only by pressing the air-liquid valve switch  146  to realize the discharge and closing of the cleaning liquid and the air. The operation is convenient and quick, and the operability of the endoscope system is effectively improved. 
     A plurality of LED lamps  136  are disposed on an outer circumference of the camera  135 . The LED lamps  136  are connected to the signal transmission line  133  inside the flexible tube  13 , and the LED lamps  136  provide light illumination to meet image acquisition requirements in certain weak light position. The hand-held end  14  is provided with an LED control button  143  by which opening and closing of the LED lamps  136  are controlled at the position of the camera  135 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the hand-held end  14  includes an external hand-held housing, and inside the hand-held end  14 , a communication module (not shown in the figure) is provided for exchanging signals with the camera  135  and the receiving end  15 , respectively. The communication module includes a wired communication module and a wireless communication module. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 7 , the receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  are detachably connected. The hand-held end  14  is provided with a clamping seat  144 , and the receiving end  15  is provided with a clamping groove  151 . The clamping seat  144  is electrically connected to the wired communication module, and the clamping groove  151  is electrically connected to the receiving end  15 . The receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  can be connected through the clamping groove  151  and the clamping seat  144 . When the receiving end  15  is connected to the clamping groove  151  of the hand-held end  14  through the clamping seat  144 , the receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  are electrically connected by wire to implement wired transmission, and information transmission is performed between the wired communication module in the hand-held end  14  and the receiving end  15 . The receiving end  15  is provided with a display screen  153 , a function button  154 , and a receiving end switch button  155 . 
     When the receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  are separated, the communication mode between the receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  is automatically converted into wireless communication, and information transmission is performed between the wireless communication module in the hand-held end  14  and the receiving end  15 . Those skilled in the art may adopt Bluetooth, GPRS, WIFI and other communication modes as needed. Wireless communication realizes the separation of the receiving end  15  and the hand-held end  14  within a certain range, thereby reducing the restriction on the operation of the flexible tube  13 . The operator can monitor the operating environment of the flexible tube  13  at any position. The wireless communication module is provided with a transmitting frequency band switch  145  by which the signal transmission channel of the video information transmitted by the wireless communication module is changed, and the receiving end  15  is provided with a receiving frequency band switch  152  by which the signal transmission channel of the receiving end  15  for receiving video information is changed. When the wireless communication module and the receiving end  15  are in the same signal transmission channel, the signal transmission can be performed. When multiple endoscope devices work simultaneously in the same working environment, multiple signal transmission channels can be set such that different endoscope devices are in different signal transmission channels to avoid signal interference between different endoscope devices. 
     The end of the signal transmission line  133  at the tail end of the flexible tube  13  is provided with a video signal connector  134 ; the end of the liquid tube  131  at the tail end of the flexible tube  13  is provided with a tube joint  132 , and the hand-held end  14  is provided with a video signal connecting seat  142  and a tube connecting seat  141 . The video signal connecting seat  142  is electrically connected to the video signal connector  134 ; the tube connecting seat  141  is connected to the tube joint  132  and is an internal conductive mechanical connection, including a screw connection, a snap connection, and the like. 
     The hand-held end  14  is internally provided with a connecting tube (not shown in the figure), which is connected to the liquid tube  131  and the liquid guiding hose  11 , respectively. 
     The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.