Abstract: An endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus includes: a fluid supply unit that supplies fluid for washing and disinfecting; an electromagnetic valve provided in each of a plurality of connecting channels which are connected to a plurality of channels of an endoscope; a single flow rate meter provided between the fluid supply unit and the electromagnetic valve; and a flow rate limiting section for limiting flow rate so that the flow rate falls within a flow rate measurement range in which flow rate measurement by the flow rate meter is possible; or a flow rate padding section for padding a flow rate with a flow rate that can be detected by the flow rate meter; or a flow rate diverting section for diverting part of flow rate that flows to the flow rate meter through a bypass channel.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an endoscope having an image pickup device, a control unit, signal lines, a first earth electric wire, a light guide and a scope connector. The scope connector is formed by collecting a first electric contact, a first non-contact power transmitting portion serving as a non-contact electromagnetic induction and coupling device, a first non-contact signal transmitting portion, and a first illumination light transmitting portion.

Abstract: A medical instrument storage system includes a power feeder connected to a power source (4), a main body (3) which includes a power receiver (14) for receiving a contactless power supply from the power feeder, and a holding portion (2) for holding a medical instrument, a sanitation keeping unit (13, 35) connected to the power receiver and driven by the power supplied from the power feeder through the power receiver to keep the medical instrument held in the holding portion in a sanitary state, a moving unit (12) for making the main body movable, an electric storage unit (91) provided in the holding vessel for storing power supplied from the power feeder, and a light emitting unit (35) connected to the electric storage unit provided in the holding vessel for emitting a light ray with a predetermined wavelength toward the medical instrument.

Abstract: A washing tube of the present invention is a washing tube for supplying a washing and disinfecting fluid to an endoscope conduit of an endoscope placed in an endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus, includes: a tube body, one end of which is connected to fluid supply sections of the endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus for sending a fluid, a connector section disposed at the other end of the tube body and loosely and detachably fitted to a base of the endoscope conduit, a sealing member that is provided inside the connector section and comes into close contact with the base to keep the base and the connector section connected in a watertight manner, a valve body that moves forward by a liquid sending pressure of the supplied fluid and a biasing member provided inside the connector section for biasing the valve body backward.

Abstract: An endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus includes: a connecting portion connected to a bending transmitting portion of an endoscope to transmit driving force; a distal end driving portion for transmitting the driving force to the bending transmitting portion through the connecting portion; a fluid supplying unit for supplying gas into an inner space of the endoscope; and a control unit for controlling a pressure detecting portion for detecting pressure in the inner space and the distal end driving portion to provide the bending portion with bending motion, and for determining occurrence or nonoccurrence of water leak in the endoscope by comparing the pressure detected by the pressure detecting portion and a preset threshold.

Abstract: An endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus 1 according to the prevent invention includes an apparatus body 2 including a cleaning tank 6 for storing an endoscope retaining tray 4 in which an endoscope 5 is stored, a top cover 3 provided to the apparatus body 2 and caused by a cover body opening/closing mechanism unit to rotationally move between an open-state stop position and a closed-state stop position, a wireless tag 14 provided to either one of the endoscope retaining tray 4 and the endoscope 5 stored in the endoscope retaining tray 4 and transmitting information for identifying the type of the endoscope 5, a wireless receiver unit 22 provided to the apparatus body 2 and receiving the information of the wireless tag 14, and a control unit 10 provided to the apparatus body 2 and determining whether or not to cause an opening movement of the top cover 3 on the basis of the information obtained by the wireless receiver unit 22 to thereby control the rotational movement by the cover body opening/closing me

Abstract: An endoscope washer disinfector comprises a chemical cassette, a loading unit, and a chemical tank. The chemical cassette is charged with a chemical. This chemical cassette has a delivery port to deliver the chemical therethrough. The loading unit allows the chemical cassette to be detachably loaded thereto and is formed to deliver the chemical in the chemical cassette when the chemical cassette is loaded. The loading unit comprises a blade used to forcibly open the delivery port and to sense whether or not the chemical is delivered to the chemical tank via the opened delivery port. The chemical tank stores the chemical delivered from the chemical cassette loaded to the loading unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope is provided. First and second chemicals and dilution water, which dilutes the chemicals to be used for disinfecting the endoscope, are charged into a tank. The tank includes a first portion, a second portion having an area of base smaller than that of the first portion, a first sensor detecting that the dilution water is charged into the first portion up to a first level, a second sensor detecting that the first chemical is charged into the second portion up to a second level, and a third sensor detecting that the second chemical is charged into the second portion up to a third level. A unit measures a first volume of the first chemical based on a result of the second sensor and measures a second volume of the second chemical based on results of the third sensor and the second sensor.

Abstract: In an endoscope washer disinfector, a liquid agent is supplied from a tank to a washing bath. A first supply passage communicates between the tank and a pressurizing member. A second supply passage communicates between the washing bath and the tank. A discharging member opens the inside pressure of the tank to the atmosphere. A detector detects an amount of the agent passing along the second supply passage to output a detection signal corresponding to the agent amount. By driving the pressurizing member to pressurize the inside of the tank via the first supply passage, means starts agent supply from the tank to the bath via the second supply passage. Based on the detection signal, means determines whether the amount of the agent passing along the second supply passage reaches a specified volume. When it is determined that the agent amount reaches the specified volume, means ends the agent supply by making the inner pressure of the tank open to the atmosphere by driving the discharging member.

Abstract: An endoscope washer disinfector washes and disinfects an endoscope with a mouth ring communicating with an endoscope duct. The washer disinfector comprises a washing disinfecting bath; a nozzle arranged with the bath, loaded into the mouth ring, and formed to supply fluid to the duct via the mouth ring; a tray on which the endoscope is mounted. In this washer disinfector, a bilateral positioning member positions the endoscope and the tray so that the mouth ring of the endoscope mounted on the tray is located at a given position on the tray; and a trilateral positioning member positions the washing disinfecting bath, the tray, and the endoscope so that, when the tray is loaded into the washing disinfecting bath, the mouth ring of the endoscope positioned at the given position on the tray by the bilateral positioning member is positioned at a position that is across is from the nozzle.

Abstract: A managing system manages not only an endoscope washer-disinfector performing cleaning and disinfection with an insertion tube of an endoscope but also an endoscope apparatus performing an endoscopic examination using the endoscope. The system comprises an acquiring unit and a manger. The acquiring unit acquires information indicative of a finish time of the endoscopic examination which is the newest and performed by the endoscope apparatus. The manager manages states of the cleaning and disinfection performed by the endoscope washer-disinfector depending on the information indicative of the finish time of the endoscopic examination acquired by the acquiring unit. Every time when an endoscopic examination is finished, the information indicative of the finish time of the endoscopic examination is updated. For example, a length of an elapsing time from the finish of each endoscopic examination is reflected in how the cleaning and disinfection is performed.

Abstract: An endoscope washer-disinfector cleans and disinfects an endoscope with a duct. A brush cassette is detachably loaded to a loading part of the washer-disinfector and comprises a brush element and a shaft holding the brush element. Inside the cassette, first and second members are formed to hold the shaft tight therebetween for making the shaft advance and retreat to and from the duct. A lock device separates the second member from the first member so that the second member is located at a first position. The lock device locks the separated second member, when the brush is not loaded on the loading part. When the cassette is loaded to the loading part, the lock device also unlocks the locked second member responsively to an operating force and allows the second member to be moved to a second position where the first and second members hold tight the shaft.

Abstract: In an endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus, a duct of the endoscope is washed by a washing brush having a brush chip and a shaft having a distal end to which the brush chip is detachably loaded. A brush-chip accommodating unit has a brush-chip accommodating chamber communicable to a flow passage of a nozzle detachably coupled to the duct. A shaft accommodating unit has a shaft accommodating chamber communicable to the brush-chip accommodating chamber, the shaft being selectively accommodated in the shaft accommodating chamber. A shaft driving unit drives the shaft to be fed to the duct from the shaft accommodating chamber and to be returned to the shaft accommodating chamber from the duct. In the brush-chip accommodating chamber, coupling and decupling means allow the brush chip to be coupled and decoupled with and from the shaft, during the shaft is driven to go back and forth.

Abstract: An apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope comprises a frame, a brush unit, and a lid. The frame is equipped with a washing bath accommodating therein the endoscope for washing and disinfection. The brush unit accommodates therein a brush for washing a duct of the endoscope and is detachably loaded to the frame at a predetermined position thereof to allow the brush to be inserted into the duct. The lid is attached to the frame to selectively open and close and formed to cover the washing bath and the brush unit loaded to the fame when the frame is closed. Further, the apparatus comprises a reuse-disabling device disabling the brush unit from being reused in association with the opening and closing actions of the lid. The reuse-disabling device prevents reuse of the brush unit which is poor in its washing performance due to being used already.

Abstract: An endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus body having a washing tub for placing and washing an endoscope, a brush forward and reverse mechanism provided with a fluid supply part for supplying a fluid circulating in the apparatus body into a conduit of the endoscope, and a washing brush cassette freely attachable and detachable to/from the brush forward and reverse mechanism, having a washing brush for brush washing the inside of the conduit by moving forward and reversely by the brush forward and reverse mechanism through the fluid supply part. Thus, an inexpensive endoscope conduit washing brush cassette capable of readily changing a washing brush and an easy-to-use endoscope washing and disinfecting apparatus corresponding to the endoscope conduit washing brush cassette can be provided.

Abstract: In a washing/disinfecting tank of an endoscope washing/disinfecting device, an endoscope connection portion to be joined to a connector portion of an endoscope body is provided, and receiving-side bases to be connected to each of pipelines of the endoscope body are provided. In washing/disinfecting the endoscope body, the connector portion is opposed to the endoscope connection portion in the predetermined positioned state, and then, a switch is turned on. Then, an electromagnet disposed at the endoscope connection portion is excited so as to attract and fix the connector portion by a generated magnetic force.

Abstract: There is provide an apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope having a duct for detecting a water leakage, the duct having an opening to which a fitting is attached. The apparatus comprises a nozzle unit having a nozzle to supply a gas into the duct via the fitting in a case where the nozzle is inserted into the fitting and a base member holding the nozzle member. The apparatus further comprises a gas supplying unit capable of supplying the gas to the nozzle, a shifting unit capable of shifting the base member toward the fitting of the endoscope, and a controlling unit controlling drive of the shifting unit to shift the base toward the fitting and to drive of the gas supplying unit to allow the nozzle to blow the gas from before the nozzle reaches the fitting.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided which has good operability, such as ease of varying the rigidity of an insertion portion, as well as a lighter-weight bending mechanism for changing the shape of a bending portion. The endoscope according to the present invention comprises an insertion portion to be inserted into a subject, an electroconductive expanding/contracting member which can expand/contract the insertion portion in the lengthwise direction and which is for expanding/contracting according to the state of voltage application, and electrodes for applying the voltage supplied from a power source to the electroconductive expanding/contracting member.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope equipped with an insertion tube through which a duct is formed and a base portion integrated with the insertion tube. The apparatus comprises a bath member providing a washing bath; and an accommodating member on which the endoscope is accommodated. The accommodating member is installed in the washing bath. The apparatus further comprises a duct washing unit and a brush washing unit. The duct washing unit is equipped with a washing brush and formed to wash the duct by advancing and retreating the brush through the duct, with the endoscope accommodated on the accommodating member. The brush washing unit is configured to wash the brush by spraying fluid toward the brush when the brush is made to advance and retreat through the duct.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for washing and disinfecting a medical instrument with a duct. The apparatus comprises an accommodating member on which the medical instrument is accommodated and a bath member providing a washing bath in which the accommodating member is placed. The apparatus further comprises a washing unit washing at least the duct of the medical instrument accommodated on the accommodating member and placed in the washing bath and a brushing unit detachably mounted on the bath member and formed to have a brush brushing an inside of the duct when the endoscope is washed and disinfected by the washing unit.