Apparatus for cleaning and sterilizing a guide tube for a forceps-control member operating wire in an endoscope

Claim 1

In an endoscope including a manipulator unit and a forward elongated insertion portion extending from the manipulator unit, forceps-control means movably mounted in a forward region of the insertion portion for selectively controlling the position of forceps at the forward region of the insertion portion, an operating wire guide tube extending within the insertion portion towards the manipulator unit, and an operating wire extending through and being guided by the wire guide tube having two ends, a first end of said operating wire being connected to the forceps-control means so that the position of the forceps can be controlled from the manipulator unit through displacement of the operating wire which thereby moves the forceps-control means, an apparatus for cleaning and/or sterilizing the operating wire guide tube, comprising: a control shaft guide tube connected to said wire guide tube in fluid communication therewith; a tubular control shaft mounted for guided forward and rearward longitudinal movement within said control shaft guide tube in a piston-like manner, said control shaft being connected to the second end of said operating wire which extends through and is guided by the wire guide tube within the forward elongated insertion portion of the endoscope; sealing means for providing a substantially fluid-tight seal between said tubular control shaft and said control shaft guide tube; fluid passage means provided in said tubular control shaft communicating with said control shaft guide tube, said fluid passage means comprising a fluid passage formed in said tubular control shaft, one end of said passage opening rearwardly of said sealing means and the other end of said passage opening forwardly of said sealing means and communicating with said control shaft guide tube; a flexible tube having two ends, a first end being connected to said tubular control shaft for movement therewith and sealed in fluid communication to said one end of said fluid passage, said flexible tube including a slackened length portion of the form of a looped section of said flexible tube, said looped section of said flexible tube having a particular radial dimension for a respective position of said tubular control shaft, said looped tube section being situated such that movement of said tubular control shaft to which said first end of said flexible tube is connected in a rearward direction causes the dimension of said looped tube section to expand; and fluid inlet means externally provided on said manipulator unit with the second end of said flexible tube communicating therewith for injecting cleaning fluid or the like into said flexible tube; whereby due to the presence of the looped section of the flexible tube, the relative increase in the volume of a tube system including the wire guide tube, the control shaft guide tube situtated forwardly of said sealing means, the fluid passage of said control shaft and the flexible tube as the control shaft is moved in a rearward direction within the control shaft guide tube and the consequent relative decrease in pressure in the tube system caused thereby is significantly less than when the flexible tube does not include the looped section.