Olympus Corporation

Isamu Nakajima

Seisuke Takase

Suguru Okaniwa

Hidehiro Joko

Tsukasa Kobayashi

Yuji Sakamoto

Akira Murata

Kensuke Miyake

Takeo Suzuki

Hiroyuki Morishita

Takechiyo Nakamitsu

Shoichiro Mochimaru

An endoscope includes an objective optical system provided in a distal end portion of an insertion portion, and a light splitting element configured to split a light beam from an objective optical system into a plurality of light beams including a first light beam and a second light beam. The first light beam is reflected by a reflection mirror, and is formed into an image on a first image pickup device. The second light beam is formed into an image on a second image pickup device. The first image pickup device and the second image pickup device are disposed adjacent to the light splitting element at positions different from each other with respect to an optical axis of the light beam from the objective optical system.

Endoscope and endoscope apparatus

An endoscope insertion observation apparatus includes a processor designed to perform functions including: detecting an insertion state of an insertion portion of an endoscope that is insertable into and extractable from a subject; determining whether or not the insertion portion has reached a second site in the subject from a first site in the subject and/or whether the insertion portion has reached the first site from the second site in the subject based on a detection result of the insertion state; and calculating a duration of movement of the insertion portion from the first site to the second site after determining that the insertion portion has reached the second site, or a duration of movement of the insertion portion from the second site to the first site after determining that the insertion portion has reached the first site.

Endoscope insertion observation apparatus capable of calculating duration of movement of insertion portion

Maximum hardness of a flexible tube section of an endoscope is set such that substantial maximum hardness at a time when an over-tube is attached is equal to or lower than maximum hardness of a flexible tube section of an endoscope. That is, the maximum hardness of the flexible tube section of the endoscope is set substantially equal to hardness obtained by subtracting hardness of the over-tube itself from the maximum hardness of the flexible tube section of the endoscope. In the endoscopes including a hardness changing mechanism, maximum hardness of the endoscope, to which the over-tube is not attached, and maximum hardness of the endoscope, to which the over-tube is attached, are set substantially equal.

Endoscope system

An endoscope system sets a hardness variation of a thick flexible tube portion and a hardness variation of a thin flexible tube portion such that their respective ratios against base hardness are constant, and as each flexible tube portion becomes thicker, the hardness variation increases and an endoscope with a relatively thin flexible tube portion has a smaller hardness variation. This makes it possible to avoid situations like an endoscope with a thick flexible tube portion lacking hardness or an endoscope with a thin flexible tube portion becoming too hard, and makes it possible to perform optimum insertion operation in accordance with the thickness of a flexible tube.

Endoscope system having first and second endoscopes with insertion sections having different hardness variation amounts

An endoscope system includes an endoscope including an insertion section formed in an elongated shape, a flexible tube portion provided at a proximal end side of the insertion section, and a rigidity changing mechanism portion provided inside the flexible tube portion, and configured to change rigidity of the flexible tube portion by an operation performed on a hand side, and a flexible overtube formed in a cylindrical shape extending in an axial direction, into which the insertion section is inserted, where a rigidity change region of the flexible tube portion by the rigidity changing mechanism portion is set to be from an intermediate portion to a proximal end portion of the flexible tube portion, and a total length of the overtube in the axial direction is set to be shorter than a total length of the rigidity change region.

Endoscope system including overtube and endoscope having rigidity changing mechanism

An endoscope includes: an insertion portion formed in an elongated shape; a mesh tube formed by braiding thin wires in a tubular shape and provided in a shape of a cylinder inside the insertion portion; and a rigidity changing mechanism including a coil inserted in the insertion portion and formed by winding an element wire, and a wire inserted in the coil and formed by intertwining element wires, the rigidity changing mechanism being configured to apply a compression force to the coil by pulling the wire, to adjust a bending rigidity of the insertion portion, wherein a dimension of a gap created between the thin wires in the mesh tube is set to be smaller than a diameter of the wire and larger than a diameter of each of the element wires of the wire.

Endoscope with mesh tube

A treatment tool for an endoscope includes a sheath which is extended along a longitudinal axis; a pre-curved portion which is disposed at a distal portion of the sheath; a knife wire lumen which is formed along the longitudinal axis of the sheath; a first communication hole and a second communication hole which are open on an outer circumferential surface to communicate the outer circumferential surface positioned with the knife wire lumen; a wire-shaped cutting portion which is protruded from the first communication hole and the second communication hole, and is extended in a position spaced from the outer circumferential surface and the virtual plane; a fixing portion which is provided to fix an end portion of a wire connected to the cutting portion inside the knife wire lumen, and a bending portion which is provided to bend the wire.

Growing community of inventors

Sagamihara, Japan

Isamu Nakajima