ADAPTER FOR CONNECTING AN ENDOSCOPE WITH AN AIR SUPPLY CONNECTOR OF A STORAGE CABINET, STORAGE CABINET, ENDOSCOPE STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING AN ADAPTER TO A STORAGE CABINET

Abstract

An adapter including: an air inlet connector configured to be connected to an air supply connector of a storage cabinet; at least one endoscope connector configured to be connected to an endoscope port of an endoscope; and at least one tube connecting the air inlet connector and the at least one endoscope connector. Wherein the adapter comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag is configured to store adapter type information about an adapter type of the adapter, and the RFID tag is configured to send the adapter type information to a RFID receiver of the storage cabinet.

Claims

1. An adapter comprising: an air inlet connector configured to be connected to an air supply connector of a storage cabinet; at least one endoscope connector configured to be connected to an endoscope port of an endoscope; and at least one tube connecting the air inlet connector and the at least one endoscope connector; wherein the adapter comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag being configured to store adapter type information about an adapter type of the adapter, and the RFID tag is configured to send the adapter type information to a RFID receiver of the storage cabinet.

2. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is arranged on or inside the air inlet connector.

3. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the adapter type information comprises flow parameters, the flow parameters specifying one or more of an air pressure value and a flow rate value of a pressurized air flow to be guided through the adapter.

4. A storage cabinet comprising: an air supply; at least two air supply connectors connected to the air supply; at least one RFID receiver; and a controller comprising hardware; wherein the at least two air supply connectors are configured to be connected to the air inlet connector of the adapter according to claim 1; the air supply is configured to apply an air pressure to the air supply connectors; the air supply connectors each comprise an air valve; the air valve in each air supply connector of the at least two air supply connectors is configured to be mechanically opened when a connection is established between the air inlet connector of the adapter and a corresponding one of the at least two air supply connectors comprising the opened air valve; the opening air valve causes a pressurized air flow through the corresponding one of the at least two air supply connectors; the controller is configured to detect the pressurized air flow in order to detect which air supply connector of the at least two air supply connectors has been connected to the air inlet connector; the at least one RFID receiver is configured to receive the adapter type information from the RFID tag of the adapter and to transmit the adapter type information to the controller; and the controller is configured to adapt flow parameters of the pressurized air flow based on the adapter type information.

5. The storage cabinet according to claim 4, wherein the at least one RFID receiver comprising at least two RFID receivers, wherein one of the at least two RFID receivers is arranged on or inside each of the at least two air supply connectors.

6. The storage cabinet according to claim 4, wherein the at least one RFID receiver is arranged on or outside a hull of the storage cabinet.

7. The storage cabinet according to claim 4, wherein the at least two RFID receiver is arranged as part of a control panel of the storage cabinet.

8. The storage cabinet according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to adapt flow parameters of the pressurized air flow of each of the at least two air supply connectors only after the connection of one of the at least two air supply connectors to the air inlet connector has been detected.

9. The storage cabinet according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to measure a connection time for which the adapter is connected to one of the at least two air supply connectors, compare the connection time with a predefined lifetime of the adapter and generate a warning when the connection time exceeds the lifetime.

10. An endoscope storage system, comprising the storage cabinet according to claim 4.

11. A method for connecting an adapter to one of at least two air supply connectors of a storage cabinet, the method comprising: transmitting adapter type information from a RFID tag of the adapter to a RFID receiver of the storage cabinet, connecting an air inlet connector of the adapter to a first air supply connector of at least two air supply connectors, wherein an air pressure is applied to each of the at least two air supply connectors with an air supply of the storage cabinet, an air valve in the first air supply connector is opened by connecting the air inlet connector to the first air supply connector, and the opening of the air valve causes a pressurized air flow through the first air supply connector to the adapter, detecting, with a controller of the storage cabinet, which of the at least two air supply connectors has been connected with the air inlet connector by detecting the pressurized air flow, sending the adapter type information from the RFID receiver to the controller, and adapting flow parameters of the pressurized air flow based on the adapter type information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the adapting of the flow parameters is performed after the detecting which of the at least two air supply connectors has been connected with the air inlet connector.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, measuring a connection time, for which the adapter is connected to one of the at least two air supply connectors, wherein the connection time is compared with a predefined lifetime of the adapter, and a warning is generated when the connection time exceeds the lifetime.

14. A method for disconnecting an adapter from a first air supply connector of at least two air supply connectors of a storage cabinet, the method comprising: disconnecting an air inlet connector of the adapter from a first air supply connector, wherein an air valve in the first air supply connector is closed by disconnecting the air inlet connector from the first air supply connector, and the closing of the air valve causes a pressurized air flow through the first air supply connector to stop, detecting, with a controller of the storage cabinet, which of the at least two air supply connectors has been disconnected from the air inlet connector by detecting the termination of the pressurized air flow, and setting flow parameters for an air pressure applied to the first air supply connector back to a predefined value.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Further characteristics will become apparent from the description of the embodiments together with the claims and the included drawings. Embodiments can fulfill individual characteristics or a combination of several characteristics.

[0052] The embodiments are described below, without restricting the general intent of the invention, based on exemplary embodiments, wherein reference is made expressly to the drawings with regard to the disclosure of all details that are not explained in greater detail in the text. In the drawings:

[0053] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective representation of a storage cabinet for storing and drying endoscopes,

[0054] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic perspective representation of an adapter for connecting an air inlet connector of an adapter to an air supply connector of a storage cabinet,

[0055] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic enlarged representation of an air inlet connector of an adapter,

[0056] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic simplified representation of a storage cabinet with an endoscope and an adapter,

[0057] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic flow chart of a method of connecting an adapter to an air supply connector of a storage cabinet, and

[0058] FIG. 6 a schematic flow chart of a method for disconnecting an adapter from an air supply connector of a storage cabinet.

[0059] In the drawings, the same or similar types of elements or respectively corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numbers in order to prevent the item from needing to be reintroduced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] FIG. 1 shows a schematic simplified representation of a storage cabinet 4. Such a storage cabinet 4 is used to store and dry endoscopes after they have been cleaned and disinfected. The storage cabinet 4 comprises a hull 46, which encloses a storage space. The storage space can be accessed by opening doors 48. Inside the storage space, the storage cabinet 4 comprises a number of holders 49, which are configured to receive a handle of an endoscope. This allows a user to hang the endoscopes in the storage cabinet 4 by arranging the handles of the endoscopes in the holders 49. The holders 49 are each connected with an air supply connector 41, which are configured to supply pressurized air. The air supply connectors 41 comprise an air valve 42 in order to prevent the pressurized air from escaping the air supply connector 41, as long as no endoscope is connected to the air supply connector 41. In order to increase the clarity of the drawing, only one air supply connector 41, one air valve 42 and one holder 49 have been assigned a reference sign in FIG. 1.

[0061] When placing an endoscope in the storage cabinet 4, an adapter has to be used to connect the air supply connector 41 with the endoscope ports of the endoscope. These adapters are specific to the type of the endoscope and differ from each other in their form and geometry as well as in the required flow parameters of the pressurized air flowing through the adapter. This makes it necessary to choose the correct adapter for each endoscope and then select the correct flow parameters, so that the correct air pressure and/or flow rate of pressurized air is applied to the adapter and the endoscope channels. These parameters may be selected on a control panel 47 of the storage cabinet 4. However, a user may mistakenly select wrong flow parameters for an adapter, causing an incorrect drying of the endoscope, which may result in a contamination.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows a schematic simplified representation of an adapter 2 for connecting the endoscope with the air supply connector 41. The adapter 2 comprises an air inlet connector 20, which is configured to be connected to the air supply connector 41. In addition, the adapter 2 comprises a number of endoscope connectors 22, which are configured to be connected to endoscope ports of the endoscope. The endoscope connectors 22 are connected to the air inlet connector 20 by a tube 24, which guides the pressurized air flow from the air inlet connector 20 to the different endoscope connectors 22. The number and arrangement of the endoscope connectors 22 is dependent on the type of adapter. Thus, the adapter 2 may comprise more or less endoscope connectors 22 than shown in FIG. 2 and the endoscope connectors 22 may have a different arrangement.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a schematic simplified representation of an embodiment of an adapter 2. This adapter 2 comprises a RFID tag 26 in the air inlet connector 20. In different embodiments, the RFID tag 26 may be arranged on or in the tube 24 or the endoscope connectors 22. The RFID tag 26 stores adapter type information specific to the adapter 2. For example, the adapter type information specify the type of adapter 2 and the flow parameters of the pressurized air required for this adapter 2.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows a schematic simplified representation of an endoscope storage system 1 comprising a storage cabinet 4 and at least one adapter 2. For better visibility, the doors 48 of the storage cabinet 4 are omitted in FIG. 4. An endoscope 6 is arranged in the storage cabinet 4 and connected to one of the air supply connectors 41 with the adapter 2. The storage cabinet 4 comprises a control device (controller) 43, which is connected to an air supply 40. As both the control device 43 and the air supply 40 are arranged inside the hull 46 and would thus not be visible in FIG. 4, they are represented with dashed lines. The air supply 40 is connected to all of the air supply connectors 41 and applies an air pressure to the air supply connectors 41. The air valves 42 arranged in each air supply connector 41 prevent the air pressure from resulting in an airflow, as long as no adapter 2 is connected to the air supply connector 41.

[0065] The storage cabinet 4 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 further comprises RFID receivers 44 in each of the air supply connectors 41 and an RFID receiver 45 arranged on the hull 46 as part of the control panel 47. The RFID receivers 44, 45 are configured to receive the adapter type information from the RFID tag 26 of the adapter 2. In this way, the adapter type information is directly sent from the adapter 2 to the storage cabinet 4 without the need of a manual input by a user. In order to transmit the adapter type information, the RFID tag 26 may be held close to the RFID receiver 45 by a user, before the user connects the adapter 2 to the air supply connector 41. The adapter type information may also be transmitted when the air inlet connector 20 of the adapter 2 is connected to the air supply connector 41, as shown in FIG. 4. When this connection is made, the RFID tag 26 arranged in the air inlet connector 20 is in close proximity to the RFID receiver 44 arranged in the air supply connector 41, ensuring an accurate transmission of the adapter type information. As shown in FIG. 4, the endoscope connectors 22 of the adapter 2 are connected to the endoscope ports 10 of the endoscope 6.

[0066] FIG. 5 schematically depicts a flow chart of a method for connecting an adapter 2 to an air supply connector 41 of the storage cabinet 4. In step 51 of the method, a user RFID tag is scanned with the RFID receiver 44, 45. If the user RFID tag is identified as belonging to an authorized user, the doors 48 are unlocked in step 52. In step 53, the RFID tag 26 of the adapter 2 is scanned by the RFID receivers 44, 45 in order to transmit the adapter type information to the storage cabinet 4. In step 54, the air inlet connector 20 of the adapter 2 is connected to a free air supply connector 41. The air valve 42 is configured to automatically open, when this connection is made, which comprises step 55. In step 56, a pressurized airflow is generated by the opening of the air valve 42, the pressurized airflow being directed from the air supply 40 through the air supply connector 41, the air inlet connector 20, the tube 24 and the endoscope connector 22 of the adapter 2 to the endoscope 6. In step 57, the control device 43 detects the pressurized airflow, for example with a flow sensor arranged inside the air supply connector 41. Through the detection of the airflow, the control device learns which air supply connector 41 has been connected to the adapter 2. Through the adapter type information, the control device 43 also learns what type of adapter 2 has been connected to this air supply connector 41. This comprises step 58. In step 59, the control device 43 controls the air supply 40 to adapt for example the flow parameters for the air supply connector 41 to the specifications of the adapter type information.

[0067] Further parameters can be taken into account. According to further embodiments, the adapter type information can comprises one or more of a plurality of parameter(s) selected from the following list: [0068] a connection time for a user to connect the endoscope adapter and the storage cabinet, [0069] a minimum and/or a maximum valve opening position of the air valve in at least one of the air supply connectors of the storage cabinet, wherein the air supply connector comprises the air valve, which is configured to control the pressurized air flow through the air supply connector, such as during a main drying phase, [0070] a minimum and/or a maximum pressure of the pressurized air flow through the air supply connector, such as during a main drying phase, [0071] a duration of a pre-drying phase, [0072] an airflow and/or an airflow pulse length during a pre-drying phase, [0073] a duration of a storage phase, [0074] an airflow and/or a pulse length during a storage phase.

[0075] For example, the control device (43) can set the timers for the pre-drying phase and the main drying phase (for example several minutes for pre-drying and one or two hours for main drying) and the storage phase (for example one week or four weeks).

[0076] This method for connecting the adapter 2 to the air supply connector 41 is only an exemplary embodiment. Other embodiments of the method may comprise additional steps, fewer steps or different steps or the order of steps may be changed. For example, steps 51 and 52 may be omitted and/or step 53 may be performed after step 57 or 58.

[0077] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of a flow chart for a method for disconnecting an adapter 2 from an air supply connector 41 of a storage cabinet 4. According to step 61, the user RFID tag is scanned by the RFID receiver 44, 45 and the doors unlocked in step 62, if the user RFID tag is identified as belonging to an authorized user. In step 63, the adapter 2 is removed by disconnecting the air inlet connector 20 from the air supply connector 41 and the endoscope connectors 22 from the endoscope ports 10 of the endoscope 6. Disconnecting the air inlet connector 20 from the air supply connector 41 results in the closing of the air valve 42 in step 64. In step 65, because the air valve 42 is closed, no pressurized airflow is going through the air supply connector 41 and the adapter 2. The control device 43 can detect the missing airflow in step 66. By detecting the missing airflow, the control device 43 can learn which adapter 2 has been disconnected from which air supply connector 41 in step 67. Then, in step 68, the control device 43 controls the air supply 40 to reset the flow parameters for this air supply connector 41 to a standard value. The control device 43 can also trigger the end of the pre-drying, main drying or the storage phase, which is subsequently documented by the cabinet.

[0078] Just like the method for connecting an adapter, the method for disconnecting an adapter shown in FIG. 6 may also comprise more steps, less steps, different steps or the order of steps may be changed.

[0079] While there has been shown and described what is considered to be embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0080] 1 endoscope storage system [0081] 2 adapter [0082] 4 storage cabinet [0083] 6 endoscope [0084] 10 endoscope port [0085] 20 air inlet connector [0086] 22 endoscope connector [0087] 24 tube [0088] 26 RFID tag [0089] 40 air supply [0090] 41 air supply connector [0091] 42 air valve [0092] 43 control device [0093] 44 RFID receiver [0094] 45 RFID receiver [0095] 46 hull [0096] 47 control panel [0097] 48 door [0098] 49 holder [0099] 51 to 59 method steps [0100] 61 to 68 method steps