Automatic cleaning system for endoscope

Abstract

The present application relates to an automatic cleaning system for an endoscope. The automatic cleaning system comprises a container, a cleanable brush, and an endoscope connecting part. The endoscope connecting part is connected to a pipeline assembly with a plurality of pipelines. The automatic cleaning system cleans the endoscope according to the following method: 1) initializing the system, putting the endoscope into the container after the initialization is completed, and correspondingly connecting the pipelines of the endoscope to interfaces of the endoscope connecting part; 2) carrying out leakage detection on the endoscope; 3) brushing the endoscope with normal leakage detection: injecting purified water and an enzyme solution with an injection amount corresponding to the purified water into the container to form a mixed solution; sequentially conveying the cleaning brush to the plurality of pipelines of the endoscope for brushing, and meanwhile, keeping the mixed solution to be fed into the whole pipeline of the endoscope at a set pressure value for irrigating; and 4) sequentially carrying out rinsing and alcohol perfusion on the brushed endoscope. According to the present application, the brushing and irrigating processes are synchronously carried out, facilitating the improvement in the cleaning efficiency and the cleaning degree.

Description

Automatic cleaning system for endoscopes Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of endoscope cleaning, and in particular relates to an automatic cleaning system for an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] As an invasive medical device, endoscopes are inevitably contaminated by the patient's body fluids during operation. The existing technology mainly relies on manual means to clean endoscopes, using a cleaning brush to scrub the lumen. When the cleaning brush enters from one end of the lumen and then extends from the other end, the operator needs to manually clean the brush head until the biofilm and dirt adhered to the brush head surface are completely removed. The cleaning brush is then pulled out of the lumen in the opposite direction. The operator also needs to clean the extracted endoscope brush head again to complete the scrubbing operation of one of the lumens. Since the endoscope has three lumens that need to be scrubbed separately, the brush head of the endoscope brush needs to be cleaned separately six times, which is very cumbersome to operate, greatly reducing the cleaning efficiency and causing inconvenience to the staff.

[0003] In existing technologies, some contaminants removed by the cleaning brush during manual cleaning cannot be promptly expelled from the lumen, and are easily reattached during subsequent flushing, resulting in incomplete cleaning and low cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, there are also problems such as incorrect cleaning order and improper cleaning operations, which affect the cleanliness of the endoscope.

[0004] In the current context of an oversaturated medical system, more mechanized and intelligent medical assistance systems should be used to reduce the mental fatigue of medical staff in non-treatment procedures. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an automatic cleaning system to replace manual means for cleaning endoscopes.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to at least partially address the deficiencies of the prior art, the main object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cleaning system for an endoscope.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned main object, the present invention provides an automatic cleaning system for an endoscope, comprising a container for placing the endoscope, a transportable cleaning brush, and an endoscope connecting portion for connecting to the pipeline of the endoscope, wherein a pipeline assembly having multiple pipelines is connected to the endoscope connecting portion; wherein the automatic cleaning system cleans the endoscope according to the following method:

[0008] 1) Initialize the system. After initialization, place the endoscope into the container and connect the endoscope's pipeline to the interface of the endoscope's connection part.

[0009] 2) Leak detection of the endoscope;

[0010] 3) Scrubbing the endoscope with normal leak detection: injecting purified water into the container through the purified water supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly and injecting enzyme solution corresponding to the injection amount of purified water into the container through the enzyme solution supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly to form a mixed solution;

[0011] The cleaning brush is sequentially delivered to multiple pipelines of the endoscope for brushing, while the mixed liquid is maintained at a set pressure value and is delivered into the entire pipeline of the endoscope for irrigation;

[0012] After the above cleaning process is completed, the drainage pipeline in the pipeline assembly is used to drain the water and the gas supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly is used to dry the pipeline of the endoscope;

[0013] 4) The cleaned endoscope is rinsed and perfused with alcohol in sequence; wherein, the number of rinsing is one or more times, and after each rinsing and alcohol perfusion is completed, the pipeline of the endoscope is blown dry using the gas supply pipeline of the pipeline assembly.

[0014] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the leak detection method in step 2) is as follows: detecting whether the pressure value of the endoscope pipeline within a set time period is within a set pressure value range, and detecting whether the pressure value change within the set time period is a uniform decrease;

[0015] If the pressure value exceeds the set interval, it directly indicates that the endoscope is leaking. If the pressure value does not exceed the set interval but the pressure value changes and decreases unevenly, it also indicates that the endoscope is leaking.

[0016] Furthermore, the duration is set to 6 seconds or more, and the pressure value range is set to 1.26Kpa-31Kpa.

[0017] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, in step 3), the cleaning brush rotates in at least part of the conveying process to change its rotational posture.

[0018] Furthermore, in step 3), a Hall sensor is used to measure the conveying length of the cleaning brush in real time.

[0019] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, in step 3), the following method is used to detect the conveying condition of the cleaning brush: based on the current feedback of the cleaning brush conveying motor, a linear relationship between current and conveying force is constructed, and based on the linear relationship, it is determined whether the cleaning brush is blocked during the conveying process and the rotation posture of the cleaning brush is obtained.

[0020] Furthermore, when the cleaning brush becomes clogged, the following operations are performed: retreat a set distance to compensate, and continue to transport forward while continuing to rinse; if clog three or more times occur at the same location, it is determined that manual intervention is required and the machine is shut down.

[0021] Furthermore, under normal circumstances, the cleaning brush is transported at a first speed; when a blockage occurs and the cleaning brush retreats a set distance, the cleaning brush is transported at a second speed exceeding the first speed.

[0022] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the pressure value of the mixed liquid during the irrigation process is 60KPa or above, and the gas pressure during the drying process is controlled to be 60KPa or above.

[0023] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, before brushing the pipeline of the endoscope in step 3), the outer surface of the endoscope is cleaned automatically or manually.

[0024] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: it provides an automatic cleaning system for an endoscope, which can be quickly connected to the pipeline of the endoscope by utilizing the endoscope connecting part, which is conducive to simplifying the operation; at the same time, during the process of brushing the pipeline of the endoscope with a cleaning brush, the mixed liquid is always kept at a set pressure value to be sent into the entire pipeline of the endoscope for irrigation, that is, the brushing and irrigation processes are carried out simultaneously, and the pollutants removed during the brushing process can be effectively and quickly sent to the outside of the endoscope pipeline, avoiding secondary attachment, and improving the cleaning efficiency and cleanliness.

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG1 is a flow chart of an automatic cleaning system of the present invention;

[0027] FIG2 is a flow chart of the initialization of the system;

[0028] FIG3 is a flow chart of leak detection;

[0029] FIG4 is a flow chart of injecting purified water and enzyme solution;

[0030] Figure 5 is a flow chart of brushing and lavage;

[0031] FIG6 is a flow chart of the assembly of the cleaning brush;

[0032] FIG7 is a flow chart of the pay-off conveying of the cleaning brush;

[0033] FIG8 is a flow chart of rinsing;

[0034] FIG9 is a flow chart of alcohol perfusion;

[0035] Figure 10 is a flow chart of air blowing;

[0036] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of external cleaning of an endoscope;

[0037] FIG12 is a schematic diagram showing the detection of the conveying condition of the cleaning brush. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0039] The present invention provides an automatic endoscope cleaning system, comprising a container for placing the endoscope, a transportable cleaning brush, and an endoscope connector for connecting to the endoscope's pipelines, the endoscope connector being connected to a pipeline assembly having multiple pipelines. Exemplarily, the container has an openable and closable upper cover, and the opening and closing of the upper cover is preferably automated, for example, by being opened by a foot kick and closed by a foot kick when closable.

[0040] The endoscope connection portion is preferably disposed in a container to facilitate connection with the endoscope's pipelines. The pipelines on the endoscope connection portion include, but are not limited to, the following: a purified water supply pipeline, an enzyme solution supply pipeline, three brush guide delivery pipelines, a drying gas supply pipeline, an alcohol supply pipeline, and a spray cleaning pipeline. Each pipeline is preferably equipped with a valve and a pump to achieve switching of the pipelines under the coordinated control of the control unit.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the automatic cleaning system cleans the endoscope in the following manner:

[0042] 1) Initialize the system. After initialization, place the endoscope into the container and connect the endoscope's pipeline to the interface of the endoscope's connection part.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2, the initialization of the system includes two stages. Initialization stage 1 is mainly used to perform self-inspection of various components of the cleaning equipment, which is completed before the endoscope is placed in the container. For example, it detects whether the cleaning brush is in the initial position, whether the upper cover is in the open position, the status of the drain valve, etc.; Initialization stage 2 is mainly used to detect the supplies required for cleaning to ensure the normal progress of cleaning, such as detecting whether the pressure of the gas pipeline meets the standard, whether the capacity of purified water / enzyme solution / alcohol, etc. is sufficient, etc.

[0044] 2) Leak detection of the endoscope;

[0045] Exemplarily, the leak detection method is shown in FIG3 , which detects whether the pressure value of the endoscope pipeline within a set time period is within a set pressure value range, and detects whether the pressure value change within the set time period is a uniform decrease; wherein, if the pressure value exceeds the set range, it directly indicates that the endoscope is leaking; if the pressure value does not exceed the set range but the pressure value changes non-uniformly, it also indicates that the endoscope is leaking.

[0046] Furthermore, the time length is set to 6 seconds or more, for example, 8 seconds; the pressure value range is set to 1.26Kpa-31Kpa; when the detection result is the endoscope leakage time, it reminds the detection pipeline to be correctly connected and reminds that the endoscope is at risk of damage when the pipeline is correctly connected.

[0047] 3) Clean the endoscope with normal leak detection;

[0048] As shown in FIG4 , purified water is injected into the container using the purified water supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly, and enzyme solution corresponding to the injection amount of purified water is injected into the container using the enzyme solution supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly to form a mixed solution. For example, the ratio of purified water to enzyme solution in the mixed solution used is 200:1. The user can change this ratio as needed, which will not be elaborated here.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the cleaning brush is sequentially delivered to multiple pipelines of the endoscope for scrubbing, while the mixed liquid is maintained at a set pressure value to be delivered to the entire pipeline of the endoscope for irrigation; wherein, the set pressure value of the mixed liquid during the irrigation process is 60KPa or above, specifically 100KPa. The simultaneous scrubbing and irrigation processes can effectively and quickly deliver the contaminants removed during the scrubbing process to the outside of the endoscope pipeline, avoid secondary adhesion, and improve the efficiency and cleanliness of the cleaning.

[0050] After the above cleaning process is completed, the drainage pipe in the pipe assembly is used to drain the water and the gas supply pipe in the pipe assembly is used to blow dry the pipes of the endoscope; an exemplary blowing process is shown in Figure 10, wherein the gas pressure is controlled at 60Kpa and above during the blowing process, for example, 70Kpa.

[0051] 4) Rinse and perfuse the cleaned endoscope with alcohol;

[0052] The number of rinses is one or more, for example, three times; after each rinse and alcohol perfusion is completed, the endoscope pipeline is blown dry using the gas supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly, and the drying process is shown in Figure 10.

[0053] The specific process of the rinsing process is shown in Figure 8. First, 500 ml of purified water is injected to clean the pipes, and the water injection process is monitored. After the water injection is completed, rinsing begins. During the rinsing process, the cleaning brush can be used to continue cleaning or can be retracted. Preferably, the cleaning brush is used for cleaning during the rinsing process.

[0054] After rinsing, perform the drainage and spray blowing process to dry the endoscope tubes;

[0055] Repeat the above process to the set number of rinses to complete the rinsing of the endoscope.

[0056] The specific process of alcohol perfusion is shown in FIG9 . After rinsing, alcohol perfusion is performed, and the alcohol sent into the endoscope channel is used for cleaning and disinfection. After that, the channel is blown dry to complete the alcohol perfusion of the endoscope.

[0057] In the embodiment, the cleaning brush is preferably transported automatically using an automated transport device, for example, using the winding mechanism and propulsion mechanism disclosed in the applicant's prior patent application 202211405676.X. Of course, other implementable methods can also be used, and this is not limited here. Specifically, the cleaning brush rotates during at least part of the transport process to change its rotational posture, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the scrubbing.

[0058] Furthermore, in the embodiment, a Hall effect sensor is used to measure the delivery length of the cleaning brush in real time. The process of inserting the cleaning brush is shown in Figure 6. The wound cleaning brush is aligned with the middle opening (i.e., the brush guide delivery pipeline). The Hall effect sensor detects the displacement of the cleaning brush. At the same time, the cleaning brush delivery motor generates a pulse signal. When the cleaning brush is in place, it stops and the winding box is locked, so that the cleaning brush is installed in place.

[0059] For example, the following method is used to detect the conveying condition of the cleaning brush: a linear relationship between current and conveying force is constructed based on the current feedback of the cleaning brush conveying motor, and the linear relationship is used to determine whether the cleaning brush is blocked during the conveying process and to obtain the rotational posture of the cleaning brush. The linear relationship between current and conveying force is: F = K * A, where F is the conveying force (unit: N), A is the current of the cleaning brush conveying motor (unit: mA) collected, and K is a coefficient, K = 0.005 in the embodiment; as shown in Figure 12, the above detection process is carried out as follows:

[0060] 1) Start to transmit the line;

[0061] 2) If the line transmission is completed, the Hall sensor acquisition distance is the same as the set distance L, the line transmission is completed, otherwise the line transmission continues;

[0062] 3) The transmission line continues, the transmission motor current A is collected, and the transmission force of the cleaning brush is judged based on the linear relationship between the current and the transmission force;

[0063] 4) If the conveying force F is less than the set value (specifically 9N in the embodiment), the remaining distance of the line is continuously conveyed and the process of step 1 is continued; if the conveying force F is greater than or equal to the set value, a pop-up window prompts "Conveying is blocked, please check!", select the "Exit" option and the process is terminated, or select "Continue" to record the recorded distance L1 collected by the current Hall sensor, first retreat the preset length (specifically 20mm in the embodiment), and then continue to convey the line (L-L1) + preset length, and the process of step 1 is continued.

[0064] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, when the cleaning brush becomes clogged, the following operations are performed: the brush moves backward a set distance to compensate, and continues to move forward while irrigating. If the same location becomes clogged three or more times, it is deemed necessary to intervene manually and the machine is shut down. Under normal circumstances, the cleaning brush moves at a first speed; when a clog occurs and the cleaning brush moves backward a set distance, it moves at a second speed exceeding the first speed to facilitate the removal of contaminants.

[0065] In the embodiment, it is preferred that the outer surface of the endoscope be cleaned automatically or manually before brushing the endoscope's pipelines in step 3). As shown in FIG11 , after the purified water is injected, the user is prompted to clean the outer surface of the endoscope, for example, manually, and after the cleaning is completed, for example, by clicking an OK button to continue the subsequent cleaning process.

[0066] Although the present invention has been described above through embodiments, it should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to exemplify the possible implementation schemes of the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. That is, any substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the present invention should also be covered by the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning system for an endoscope, comprising a container for placing an endoscope, a transportable cleaning brush, and an endoscope connecting portion for connecting to a pipeline of the endoscope, wherein a pipeline assembly having multiple pipelines is connected to the endoscope connecting portion; wherein: The automatic cleaning system cleans the endoscope as follows: 1) Initialize the system. After initialization, place the endoscope into the container and connect the endoscope's pipeline to the interface of the endoscope's connection part. 2) Leak detection of the endoscope; 3) Scrubbing the endoscope with normal leak detection: injecting purified water into the container through the purified water supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly and injecting enzyme solution corresponding to the injection amount of purified water into the container through the enzyme solution supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly to form a mixed solution; The cleaning brush is sequentially delivered to multiple pipelines of the endoscope for brushing, while the mixed liquid is maintained at a set pressure value and is delivered into the entire pipeline of the endoscope for irrigation; After the above cleaning process is completed, the drainage pipeline in the pipeline assembly is used to drain the water and the gas supply pipeline in the pipeline assembly is used to dry the pipeline of the endoscope; 4) The cleaned endoscope is rinsed and perfused with alcohol in sequence; wherein, the number of rinsing is one or more times, and after each rinsing and alcohol perfusion is completed, the pipeline of the endoscope is blown dry using the gas supply pipeline of the pipeline assembly.

2. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: The leak detection method in step 2) is as follows: detecting whether the pressure value of the endoscope pipeline within a set time period is within a set pressure value range, and detecting whether the pressure value change within the set time period is a uniform decrease; If the pressure value exceeds the set interval, it directly indicates that the endoscope is leaking. If the pressure value does not exceed the set interval but the pressure value changes and decreases unevenly, it also indicates that the endoscope is leaking.

3. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 2, wherein: The set time is 6 seconds or more, and the set pressure value range is 1.26Kpa-31Kpa.

4. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: In step 3), the cleaning brush rotates during at least part of the conveying process to change its rotational posture.

5. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 4, wherein: In step 3), a Hall sensor is used to measure the conveying length of the cleaning brush in real time.

6. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 4, wherein: In step 3), the following method is used to detect the conveying condition of the cleaning brush: based on the current feedback of the cleaning brush conveying motor, a linear relationship between current and conveying force is constructed, and based on this linear relationship, it is determined whether the cleaning brush is blocked during the conveying process and the rotation posture of the cleaning brush is obtained.

7. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 6, wherein: When the cleaning brush is clogged, the following operations are performed: retreat a set distance to compensate, and continue to transport forward while continuing to rinse; if blockage occurs three or more times at the same location, it is determined that manual intervention is required and the machine is shut down.

8. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 7, wherein: Under normal circumstances, the cleaning brush is transported at a first speed; when a blockage occurs and the cleaning brush retreats a set distance, the cleaning brush is transported at a second speed that exceeds the first speed.

9. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: During the irrigation process, the pressure of the mixed liquid is 60KPa or above, and during the drying process, the gas pressure is controlled at 60KPa or above.

10. The automatic cleaning system for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: Before brushing the pipeline of the endoscope in step 3), the outer surface of the endoscope is cleaned automatically or manually.

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