Soft endoscope transfer robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a soft endoscope transfer robot, and belongs to the technical field of medical equipment. Which comprises a movable chassis, a transfer bin (5) used for placing a soft endoscope is arranged on the surface of the movable chassis, a humidifying device (6) is arranged, and an outlet of the humidifying device (6) is connected with the transfer bin (5), and is characterized in that an opening is formed in one end of the transfer bin (5), and a sealing door (4) for opening or closing the opening of the transfer bin (5) is arranged on the side part of the opening of the transfer bin (5); and a driving mechanism for driving the sealing door (4) to reciprocate is arranged at the upper part of the transfer bin (5). According to the flexible endoscope transfer robot, the closing door capable of automatically moving is arranged at the opening of the transfer bin, so that the convenience of taking and placing the flexible endoscope is simplified, and an operator is prevented from being in contact with other objects outside the flexible endoscope to the greatest extent, and therefore, the risk of pollution is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] A flexible endoscope transport robot belongs to the field of medical equipment technology. Background Technology

[0002] Flexible endoscopes are commonly used medical devices. Because they are reusable, they need to be cleaned, disinfected, and stored after use. Since the cleaning, disinfection, use, and storage of flexible endoscopes are all handled in separate areas, they often need to be transported between these areas. Transporting flexible endoscopes is generally achieved using a transport vehicle. Existing technologies include the following transport vehicle solutions:

[0003] (1) Manual push type. Because manual push type transport carts require manual pushing, even if the flexible endoscope itself is in an isolated state or the staff minimizes direct contact with the flexible endoscope during the transport process, the risk of secondary contamination of the flexible endoscope will still increase. (2) Automated type. To solve the problem of contamination caused by manual push type transport carts, existing technologies have emerged that can realize the automated transport of flexible endoscopes.

[0004] Although automated transport carts have solved the problem of easy contamination of flexible endoscopes that existed with hand-push transport carts, both hand-push and automated transport carts still have the following problems: during the transport process, dirt on the surface or inside the flexible endoscope tends to harden and adhere after drying, making it difficult to clean thoroughly during subsequent cleaning and disinfection processes, thus posing certain risks.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, Chinese invention patent application number 202111673720.0, filed on December 31, 2021, entitled "An Endoscope Transport Vehicle," describes a technical solution. This solution includes multiple storage baskets for holding flexible endoscopes. The baskets are pull-out type, requiring manual pulling to retrieve and place the flexible endoscopes. To prevent the flexible endoscopes from drying out and becoming stained, the solution involves injecting foam into the storage baskets and the inner tube of the flexible endoscope. The problems with this solution are: (1) the process of retrieving and placing the flexible endoscopes is cumbersome, increasing the risk of secondary contamination; (2) while using foam generated from disinfectant as a raw material achieves moisturization of the flexible endoscopes and provides some disinfection, it is costly and requires significant cleaning later. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a flexible endoscope transport robot that simplifies the convenience of picking up and putting down flexible endoscopes by setting an automatically moving closed door at the opening of the transport compartment, and minimizes the contact between the operator and other objects outside the flexible endoscope, thereby reducing the risk of contamination.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is as follows: The flexible endoscope transport robot includes a mobile chassis, a transport compartment for placing a flexible endoscope is provided on the surface of the mobile chassis, and a humidification device is provided. The outlet of the humidification device is connected to the transport compartment. The feature is that an opening is provided at one end of the transport compartment, a closing door is provided on the side of the opening of the transport compartment to realize the opening or closing of the transport compartment, and a drive mechanism for driving the closing door to reciprocate is provided on the upper part of the transport compartment.

[0008] Preferably, the humidification device is installed between the transfer chamber and the mobile chassis, and the outlet of the humidification device is connected to the humidification port installed on the wall of the transfer chamber through a pipeline.

[0009] Preferably, the mobile chassis includes an AGV trolley and a base shell disposed outside the AGV trolley.

[0010] Preferably, the AGV includes a chassis, a battery compartment fixed on the surface of the chassis, a control circuit on the upper part of the battery compartment, and the control circuit is connected to the drive mechanism; drive motors are respectively arranged on both sides of the bottom of the chassis, the main controller is connected to the drive motors, and drive wheels are connected to the output ends of the drive motors on both sides.

[0011] Preferably, a lidar and a voice player are installed on the side of the battery compartment. The output of the lidar is connected to the main controller, and the main controller is connected to the voice player.

[0012] Preferably, an operation screen is provided on the top of the transfer warehouse, and an RFID card reader is provided on the side of the operation screen. The operation screen and the RFID card reader are respectively connected to the drive mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, a fixing plate is provided at the bottom of the transfer compartment, which is opposite to the chassis, and the chassis and the fixing plate are fixedly connected by multiple fixing columns around the perimeter.

[0014] Preferably, the transfer warehouse is divided into multiple compartments by partitions, and each compartment has a humidification vent on its wall.

[0015] Preferably, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor, a drive gear disk coaxially fixed at the motor shaft of the drive motor, a driven gear disk meshing with the drive gear disk, and the closed door connected to the drive gear disk through a connecting plate; limit switches are also provided at the end of the reciprocating motion of the connecting plate.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0017] In this flexible endoscope transport robot, an automatically moving closed door is installed at the opening of the transport compartment, which simplifies the convenience of picking up and placing flexible endoscopes and minimizes the contact between operators and other objects outside the flexible endoscope, thus reducing the risk of contamination.

[0018] In this flexible endoscope transport robot, water is used as the raw material, and humidification is achieved by using water mist generated by a humidification device, which minimizes the cost of maintaining the humidity of the flexible endoscope. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a front view of a flexible endoscope transport robot.

[0020] Figure 2 This is an isometric view of a flexible endoscope transport robot.

[0021] Figure 3 Axonometric drawing of the flexible endoscope transport robot with the housing omitted.

[0022] Figure 4 Axonometric drawing of a flexible endoscope transport robot with the shell and sealing door omitted.

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Sectional view along line AA.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the chassis structure of a flexible endoscope transport robot (AGV).

[0025] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Sectional view along the BB direction.

[0026] The components include: 1. Operation panel; 2. Outer shell; 3. Bottom shell; 4. Enclosed door; 5. Transfer compartment; 6. Humidification device; 7. Fixing plate; 8. Fixing column; 9. AGV trolley; 10. Partition; 11. Humidification port; 12. Humidification channel; 13. LiDAR; 14. Main control box; 15. Voice player; 16. Battery compartment; 17. Chassis; 18. Drive wheel; 19. Universal wheel; 20. Limit switch; 21. Driven gear plate; 22. Drive motor; 23. Drive gear plate; 24. Connecting plate; 25. Fixing bolts. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Figures 1-7 This is the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is described below in conjunction with the appendix. Figures 1-7 The present invention will be further described below.

[0028] like Figures 1-3As shown, a flexible endoscope transport robot (hereinafter referred to as the transport robot) includes a transport compartment 5 and a mobile chassis. The transport compartment 5 is used to hold the flexible endoscope, and the mobile chassis is used to move the transport robot. An outer shell 2 is provided outside the transport compartment 5, and a bottom shell 3 is provided outside the mobile chassis. The outer shell 2 and the bottom shell 3 together constitute the shell of the flexible endoscope robot. An operation screen 1 is provided on the top of the outer shell 2. The operation screen is implemented through a commercially available touch screen and is used for controlling the transport robot and displaying its status.

[0029] The transfer chamber 5 is cylindrical, and its interior is divided into multiple compartments for placing flexible endoscopes by vertically arranged partitions 10. An opening is provided at the front end of the transfer chamber 5, and an arc-shaped closing door 4 is provided at the opening. A drive mechanism is provided at the top of the transfer chamber 5 to drive the closing door 4 to rotate. When the closing door 4 rotates to the port of the transfer chamber 5, the transfer chamber 5 is closed.

[0030] Combination Figure 7 The drive mechanism includes a drive motor 22, with a drive gear 23 coaxially fixed to the motor shaft of the drive motor 22. A driven gear 21 is horizontally positioned directly above the transfer chamber 5, and the drive gear 23 meshes with the driven gear 21. A connecting plate 24 is provided below the driven gear 21, and the connecting plate 24 is fixed to the driven gear 21 by multiple fixing bolts 25. The connecting plate 24 is fan-shaped, with its arc-shaped edge extending outward to the top of the closed door 4 and fixed to the arc-shaped top of the closed door 4. At the end of the opening and closing of the closed door 4, that is, at the end of the reciprocating swing of the connecting plate 24, a limit switch 20 is also provided to limit the opening and closing of the closed door 4.

[0031] like Figures 4-5 As shown, a fixing plate 7 is horizontally installed at the bottom of the transfer chamber 5, spaced apart from the bottom of the transfer chamber 5. A humidification device 6 is installed between the fixing plate 7 and the transfer chamber 5. A humidification port 11 is provided on the back of each compartment in the transfer chamber 5. A humidification channel 12 is provided on the back of the transfer chamber 5. The bottom of the humidification channel 12 is connected to the output port of the humidification device 6, and the humidification channel 12 extends vertically upward and is connected to all the humidification ports 11, so as to humidify each compartment and ensure the humidity in each compartment. A level gauge is also installed in the humidification device 6 for detecting the liquid level inside. The liquid level in the humidification device 6 can be displayed through the operation screen 1.

[0032] An AGV trolley 9 is installed inside the bottom shell 3 of the aforementioned mobile chassis, combined with... Figure 6The AGV trolley 9 includes a chassis 17, which is vertically opposed to a fixing plate 7. The AGV trolley 9 is fixed to the fixing plate 7 by multiple fixing posts 8 arranged around the chassis 17 and the fixing plate 7. A battery compartment 16 is fixed to the surface of the chassis 17, and a battery and a charging circuit known in the art are housed within the battery compartment 16.

[0033] A main control box 14 is located on the upper part of the battery compartment 16. The control circuit of this transfer robot is housed within the main control box 14. The control circuit includes a main controller, and the aforementioned operation screen 1, the drive mechanism for rotating the closed door 4, and a level gauge for detecting the water level in the humidification device 6 are all connected to the main controller. A card reader area is also located on the side of the operation screen 1, containing an RFID card reader connected to the main controller. The aforementioned limit switch 20 and drive motor 22 are also connected to the main controller. The main controller controls the drive motor 22 to open and close the closed door 4. Simultaneously, by receiving signals from the limit switch 20, the main controller stops the drive motor 22 after the closed door 4 has completed opening and closing.

[0034] A walking motor is installed at the bottom of the chassis 17, and the main controller is connected to the walking motor. Drive wheels 18 are connected to the output end of the walking motor, with one drive wheel 18 on each side of the chassis 17. Each drive wheel 18 on both sides is driven by a walking motor to achieve various movement states for the transfer robot, including forward, backward, and turn signal functions. A swivel wheel 19 is also installed in front of each drive wheel 18 on both sides to assist the transfer robot in its movement.

[0035] A lidar 13 is installed on the front side of the battery compartment 16. The lidar 13 serves a detection function, and its signal output is connected to the main controller. The main controller adjusts the rotation of the two drive wheels 18 based on the detection mechanism of the lidar 13. A communication module connected to the main controller is installed inside the main control box 14. The main controller communicates wirelessly with the dispatch center through the communication module and controls the actions of the transfer robot according to the dispatch instructions from the dispatch center. A voice player 15 is also installed on the side of the battery compartment 16, and the main controller is connected to the voice player 15.

[0036] The specific working process and working principle are as follows:

[0037] The process of recovering contaminated endoscopes:

[0038] During the retrieval of contaminated flexible endoscopes, after receiving the dispatch command from the dispatch center, the main controller controls the two drive wheels 18 to move the transport robot to the door of the examination room where retrieval is needed. Upon arrival at the door, the main controller controls the voice player 15 to issue a voice prompt, reminding medical staff to place the contaminated endoscope into the robot's compartment. Medical staff swipe their personnel RFID cards and endoscope RFID cards through the card reader area on the side of the operation screen 1, allowing the main controller to obtain endoscope information and loading personnel information.

[0039] After identity verification, the main controller opens the sealing door 4, and the operator places the flexible endoscope into the transport chamber 5. Once loading is complete, the sealing door 4 closes, and the transport robot automatically moves to the disinfection room. During transport, the main controller activates the humidification device 6 to generate atomized water vapor. This atomized water is delivered to each chamber through pipelines, increasing the humidity inside the chamber to slow the drying of contaminants on the surface and inner lumen of the flexible endoscope.

[0040] After the transfer robot reaches the entrance of the cleaning and disinfection room, the main controller activates the voice player 15 to issue a voice prompt, reminding the disinfection personnel to remove the contaminated endoscope. After the disinfection personnel verify their identity by swiping their card, the main controller opens the sealing door 4. The contaminated flexible endoscope is then removed, and the disinfection personnel proceed with the endoscope reprocessing procedure, thus completing the retrieval of the contaminated flexible endoscope.

[0041] The process of distributing clean endoscopes:

[0042] During the distribution of cleaned flexible endoscopes, after receiving dispatch instructions from the dispatch center, the main controller controls the two drive wheels 18 to move the transport robot to the cleaning and disinfection room. The main controller then controls the voice player 15 to issue voice prompts, reminding the disinfection personnel to load the corresponding type of flexible endoscope. After the disinfection personnel swipe their card to confirm their identity and the endoscope information, the main controller controls the opening of the sealing door 4, and the operator places the flexible endoscope into the transport compartment 5. After loading, the sealing door 4 closes, and the transport robot automatically moves to the treatment room where the request is made. Upon arrival at the treatment room door, the main controller controls the voice player 15 to issue voice prompts, reminding medical staff to remove the cleaned endoscope. After the medical staff swipe their card to confirm their identity, the main controller controls the opening of the sealing door 4. After the operator removes the flexible endoscope, the main controller controls the closing of the sealing door 4, completing the distribution of the clean flexible endoscope.

[0043] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model in any other way. Any person skilled in the art may make changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this utility model without departing from its technical solution shall still fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A flexible endoscope transport robot, comprising a mobile chassis, a transport compartment (5) for placing a flexible endoscope is provided on the surface of the mobile chassis, and a humidification device (6) is provided, the outlet of the humidification device (6) being connected to the transport compartment (5), characterized in that: An opening is provided at one end of the transfer chamber (5), and a closing door (4) is provided on the side of the opening of the transfer chamber (5) to enable the opening of the transfer chamber (5) to be opened or closed. A drive mechanism is provided on the upper part of the transfer chamber (5) to drive the closing door (4) to reciprocate.

2. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidification device (6) is located between the transfer chamber (5) and the mobile chassis. The outlet of the humidification device (6) is connected to the humidification port (11) located on the wall of the transfer chamber (5) through a pipeline.

3. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile chassis includes an AGV trolley (9) and a bottom shell (3) disposed outside the AGV trolley (9).

4. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The AGV (9) includes a chassis (17), a battery compartment (16) is fixed on the chassis (17), a control circuit is provided on the upper part of the battery compartment (16), and the control circuit is connected to the drive mechanism; drive motors are provided on both sides of the bottom of the chassis (17), the main controller is connected to the drive motors, and drive wheels (18) are connected to the output ends of the drive motors on both sides.

5. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: A lidar (13) and a voice player (15) are provided on the side of the battery compartment (16). The output of the lidar (13) is connected to the main controller, and the main controller is connected to the voice player (15).

6. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: An operation screen (1) is provided on the top of the transfer warehouse (5), and an RFID reader is provided on the side of the operation screen (1). The operation screen (1) and the RFID reader are respectively connected to the drive mechanism.

7. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: At the bottom of the transfer compartment (5), there is a fixed plate (7) opposite to the chassis (17), and the chassis (17) and the fixed plate (7) are fixedly connected by multiple fixed columns (8) around the perimeter.

8. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: Multiple compartments are formed in the transfer compartment (5) by partitions (10). Each compartment has a humidification port (11) on its wall. The humidification channel (12) is connected to the outlet of the humidification device (6) and all the humidification ports (11).

9. The flexible endoscope transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes a drive motor (22), a drive gear (23) is coaxially fixed at the motor shaft of the drive motor (22), a driven gear (21) is provided to mesh with the drive gear (23), and the closed door (4) is connected to the drive gear (23) through a connecting plate (24); a limit switch (20) is also provided at the end of the reciprocating motion of the connecting plate (24).

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