Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Koji Fujio

Shuichi Takayama

Masaaki Hayashi

Tatsuya Yamaguchi

Yasuhiro Ueda

Takeaki Nakamura

Akio Nakada

Masakazu Gotanda

Hideyuki Adachi

Katsunori Sakiyama

Yasukazu Tatsumi

Hiroki Hibino

Kenji Yoshino

Shinji Kaneko

Takashi Tsukaya

Yasuo Hirata

Koichi Shimizu

Koichi Matsui

Naomi Sekino

Toshimasa Kawai

Keiichi Hiyama

Sakae Takehana

Kenji Noda

Naoki Uchiyama

Tsuyoshi Tsukagoshi

Seiji Iwasaki

Koji Koda

Koichiro Ishiwara

Toshihiko Hagiwara

A multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator includes a flexible tube having a plurality of flex portions provided therealong, a plurality of actuators made of shape memory alloy and respectively provided near the flex portions to correspond to the flex portions, for flexing the flex portions, two common energy transmission paths, extending along the flexible tube, for transmitting an energy to the actuators, and selective energy supply members, provided between the common energy transmission paths and the actuators in series, for controlling the energy supplied from the common energy transmission path to the actuators, thereby respectively independently driving the actuators to bend the flexible tube. The manipulator is made by forming electronic circuits in a plurality of regions on a semiconductor substrate, forming wiring regions to connect the electronic circuits with flexible wiring portions, and removing a region of the semiconductor substrate other than a region thereof on which the electronic circuits are formed, thereby forming an actuator controlled chip array, used in the manipulator.

Method of manufacturing a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator

A multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator includes a flexible tube having a plurality of flex portions provided therealong, a plurality of actuators made of shape memory alloy and respectively provided near the flex portions to correspond to the flex portions, for flexing the flex portions, two common energy transmission paths, extending along the flexible tube, for transmitting an energy to the actuators, and selective energy supply members, provided between the common energy transmission paths and the actuators in series, for controlling the energy supplied from the common energy transmission path to the actuators, thereby respectively independently driving the actuators to bend the flexible tube.

Multi-degree of freedom manipulator

There is provided an apparatus for receiving nuclear magnetic resonance signals by applying high frequency energy to a living body placed in a static magnetic field. The distal end portion of the insertion section of the endoscope has a rigid distal end portion and a bendable portion. A housing portion for housing a high frequency coil is provided between the rigid distance portion and the bendable portion. This structure makes it possible to assemble the high frequency coil into the endoscope in a compact manner and can reduce a patient's burden when the insertion section is inserted in the body cavity of the patient.

MRI apparatus for receiving nuclear-magnetic resonance signals of a

A diagnostic system using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon comprises an external magnetic field generator, provided externally, for generating a magnetic field in a living body, a thin diameter member capable of being inserted into a body cavity and having flexibility, a high frequency coil, provided at a top end of the thin diameter member, for transmitting and receiving a high frequency, a nuclear magnetic resonance signal measuring device for receiving a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from the living body, and a transformer, provided between the high frequency coil and the nuclear magnetic resonance signal measuring device, for electrically isolating and separating the high frequency coil from the nuclear magnetic resonance signal measuring device in a manner such that the nuclear magnetic resonance signal is transmittable between the high frequency coil and the nuclear magnetic resonance signal measuring device.

Diagnostic system using nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon

A treating instrument for medical treatment, comprises an insertion section to be inserted into a body cavity of a patient, biopsying forceps provided at a distal end of the insertion section, a pair of cups provided at the forceps, a grip member connected to an operator-end side of the insertion section; a drive unit provided on the distal end of the insertion section and generating a drive force for the cups, a conduction circuit for carrying electric current through the drive unit, and an operation switch interposed at lead wires of the conduction circuit.

Treating instrument

In the method and dissolving therapeutic apparatus for dissolving a coagulation within a living body, a medicinal liquid for dissolving the coagulation within the living body is injected into the living body, the injected medicinal liquid is left within the living body for a predetermined time and the fluid within the living body containing the coagulation dissolved by the medicinal liquid and the medicinal liquid is substantially all discharged out of the living body. A series of steps including at least respective injecting, leaving and discharging steps is repeated. Preferably, vibrating waves are radiated toward the coagulation during the leaving step.

Method for dissolving a thickened mass within a living body and

A treatment apparatus for removing a coagulum such as a calculus or the like produced in an organism by dissolving it comprises irrigation with a medical fluid by using an irrigation pump and suction of the medical fluid by using a suction pump. In this apparatus, when a switch for stopping treatment is operated, the apparatus is not immediately stopped, but the apparatus is stopped after the medical fluid introduced into the organism has been completely discharged so that no medical fluid harmful to the organism remains in the organism.

Litholysis apparatus provided with safe stop function

The position controlling apparatus of this invention is to curve an endoscope insertable part or a catheter and is provided with an actuator having a shape memorizing alloy body. The shape memorizing alloy body is heated or cooled by a driving appartaus and the actuator is displaced by such heating or cooling. The difference between the actual displacement of the actuator driven by the driving apparatus and the objective displacement of the actuator is output by a comparing means which operates the driving apparatus on the basis of this difference. A resistance value detecting circuit detects the resistance value of the shape memorizing alloy body varying when the shape memorizing alloy body is heated or cooled. The detected value detected by the resistance value detecting circuit is input into a controlling apparatus which controls the driving apparatus on the basis of the detected value and the preset used temperature range of the shape memorizing alloy body.

Position controlling apparatus

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Tokyo, Japan

Koji Fujio