# US 5,343,855 A · Endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus and endoscope system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,343,855 A - Document ID: US5343855A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/701,381 - Filed: 1991-05-16 - Granted: 1994-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 1990-05-18 - Assignees: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yoshihiro Iida; Masaaki Nakazawa; Takahiro Kishi; Tsugio Okazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5343855A ## CPC - A61B 1/12: with cooling or rinsing arrangements - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus and endoscope system comprising an air feeding pipe communicating with an air feeding pump, a water feeding tank to which is connected a water feeding air feeding pipe branched from a part of the above-mentioned air feeding pipe, a water feeding pipe connected to this water feeding tank, electromagnetic valves fitted to the above-mentioned air feeding pipe and water feeding pipe and connecting pipelines connecting the above-mentioned air feeding pipe and water feeding pipe to communicate with pipelines of an endoscope so that, even if a light source apparatus feeding an illuminating light to the endoscope is not provided with an air feeding and water feeding pipeline controlling apparatus, feeding air and feeding water to the endoscope will be able to be controlled. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A line control apparatus for an endoscope, comprising: a body separate from said endoscope and having line control means for controlling air feed, and water feed; a leading line connected to the outside of said body, for communicating said line control means with an air feed pump provided on the outside of said endoscope; and a single connecting pipeline for communicating and connecting said line control means to a plurality of lines provided within the endoscope wherein said connecting pipeline contains said leading line and said plurality of lines. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the resistance to liquid and/or air pressure at the time of feeding a liquid of a water feeding pipeline of an endoscope not connected to this apparatus is made larger than the resistance at the time of feeding air of the air feeding pipeline. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A line control apparatus for an endoscope as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a light source apparatus connected to said line control means through said connecting pipeline, said light source apparatus being internally provided with a light source feeding an illuminating light to the endoscope and provided with said air feed pump, wherein said line control means is provided separately from said light source apparatus, and wherein said line control means includes a controlling means for feeding air for a fixed time simultaneously with or before starting feeding water. ### Claim 4 An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus comprising: a pipeline controlling means for controlling feeding air and feeding water; a leading pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with an air feeding pump provided outside an endoscope; and a connecting pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with pipelines provided within the endoscope; wherein said pipeline controlling means connects a first air feeding pipeline communicating with the air feeding pump to an electromagnetic valve to which is connected a second air feeding pipeline and said first air feeding pipeline is branched to provide a water feeding air feeding pipeline which is connected to a water feeding tank to which is connected a first water feeding pipeline having an electromagnetic valve to which is connected a second water feeding pipeline. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pipeline controlling means connects the first air feeding pipeline and second water feeding pipeline so they communicate with each other through a pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pipeline controlling means connects the first water feeding pipeline and second air feeding pipeline so they communicate with each other through a pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pipeline controlling means has a suction pump and a suction tank connected with each other through a first sucking pipeline, and a second sucking pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve is connected to said suction tank, further a third sucking pipeline is connected to the electromagnetic valve and a venting pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve is branched and connected to said second sucking pipeline. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a pipeline for adjusting a sucking amount communicating with the atmosphere through an electromagnetic valve and orifice is branched and connected to said third sucking pipeline. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising: a venting means connecting said second sucking pipeline to communicate with the atmosphere when waiting for sucking; and a sucking controlling means stopping venting by said venting means during the water feeding operation and automatically making a sucking operation when the water feeding operation ends. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a gas pipeline from a gas tank storing a nonflammable gas is connected to the second air feeding pipeline and is fitted with an electromagnetic valve. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pipeline controlling means controls the valve provided in said air feeding pipeline to intermittently open and close and intermittently feeds air to said air feeding pipeline from the air feeding pump. ### Claim 12 An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus comprising: a pipeline controlling means for controlling feeding air and feeding water; a leading pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with an air feeding pump provided outside an endoscope; a connecting pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with pipelines provided within the endoscope; and a connecting cord extended from the endoscope, having a connector at one end and connected through this connector to a light source apparatus internally provided with an air feeding pump and a branched connecting cord branched from said connecting cord, wherein said light source apparatus is connected to said pipeline controlling means and internally provided with said leading pipeline and connecting pipeline. ### Claim 13 An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus comprising: a pipeline controlling means for controlling feeding air and feeding water; a leading pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with an air feeding pump provided outside an endoscope; a connecting pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with pipelines provided within the endoscope; an engaging means for removably engaging a connecting cord of said endoscope having an air feeding and water feeding means including an air feeding pipeline, water feeding pipeline and nozzle; a release instructing means for outputting a release instruction for releasing the engagement of said engaging means and endoscope connecting cord; and a controlling means for giving an instruction to said air feeding and water feeding means to feed at least one of air and water for a predetermined time after receiving a release instruction output by said release instructing means and for releasing the engagement of said engaging means and endoscope in order that the endoscope may be pulled out of said engaging means after a predetermined time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said pressure switching means is to switch and adjust the pressure of the air feeding pump or suction pump to a pressure set in advance in response to the kind of the endoscope. ### Claim 15 An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus comprising: a pipeline controlling means for controlling feeding air and feeding water; a leading pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with an air feeding pump provided outside an endoscope; a connecting pipeline for connecting said pipeline controlling means with pipelines provided within the endoscope; and a sensing means for sensing the kind of an endoscope whereby, when an endoscope provided with a distinguishing means for distinguishing the kind of the endoscope which is connected, the kind of the endoscope will be sensed by the distinguishing means of said endoscope; a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the operating pressure of at least any one of an air feeding operation, a liquid feeding operation and a suction operation; and a pressure switching means for switching the operating pressure of said pressure adjusting means in response to the kind of said endoscope sensed by said sensing means. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said sensing means is a decoder for discriminating output data from a memory memorizing respective endoscope kind codes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said pressure adjusting means is an air feeding pump or suction pump. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said sensing means detects resistance of a resistor as an endoscope distinguishing means. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) An endoscope pipeline controlling apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said sensing means is an optical mark reader which reads bar codes as an endoscope distinguishing means. ### Claim 20 An endoscope system comprising: a light source apparatus internally provided with a light source feeding an illuminating light to an endoscope and provided with a suction pump; a pipeline controlling means for controlling feeding air and feeding water and provided separately from said light source apparatus; and an endoscope connected with said light source apparatus and pipeline controlling apparatus, wherein said pipeline controlling means connects a first air feeding pipeline communicating with the air feeding pump to an electromagnetic valve to which is connected a second air feeding pipeline and said first air feeding pipeline is branched to provide a water feeding air feeding pipeline which is connected to a water feeding tank to which is connected a first water feeding pipeline having an electromagnetic valve to which is connected a second water feeding pipeline. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) An endoscope system according to claim 20 wherein said pipeline controlling means connects the first air feeding pipeline and second water feeding pipeline to communicate with each other through a pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) An endoscope system according to claim 20, wherein said pipeline controlling means connects the first water feeding pipeline and second air feeding pipeline to communicate with each other through a pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) An endoscope system according to claim 20, wherein said pipeline controlling means has a suction pump and suction tank connected with each other through a first sucking pipeline, on the other hand, a second sucking pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve is connected to said suction tank, further a third sucking pipeline is connected to the electromagnetic valve and a venting pipeline fitted with an electromagnetic valve is branched and connected to said second sucking pipeline. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) An endoscope system according to claim 23 wherein a pipeline for adjusting a sucked amount communicating with the atmosphere through an electromagnetic valve and orifice is branched and connected to said third sucking pipeline. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) An endoscope system according to claim 23 further comprising: a venting means connecting said sucking pipeline to communicate with the atmosphere when waiting for sucking; and a sucking controlling means stopping venting by said venting means during the water feeding operation and automatically making a sucking operation when the water feeding operation ends. ### Claim 26 (depends on 20) An endoscope system according to claim 20 wherein said pipeline controlling means controls the valve provided in said air feeding pipeline to intermittently open and close and intermittently feeds air to said air feeding pipeline from the air feeding pump.