Kabushiki Kaisha Medos Kenkyusho

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Shiyouichi Yamaka

Teruo Ouchi

Keisuke Haraguchi

Hirohisa Ueda

Kazukiyo Tamada

Yukio Takaoka

An endoscope includes a forceps-control member movably mounted in a forward region of the elongate portion which is adapted to be inserted into a body cavity for selectively projecting and retracting forceps from and into the forward region of the insertion portion and an operating wire having one end connected to the forceps-control member and extending to the manipulator unit through an operating wire guide tube such that the projection and retraction of the forceps is controlled from the manipulator unit through the displacement of the operating wire. Apparatus for cleaning and/or sterilizing the operating wire guide tube includes a control shaft guide tube connected to the wire guide tube, a tubular control shaft mounted for movement within the control shaft guide tube, the control shaft being connected to the other end of the operating wire, a fluid passage provided in the tubular control shaft communicating with the control shaft guide tube, a flexible tube one end of which is connected to the tubular control shaft and communicating with the fluid passage, the flexible tube including a slackened length portion, and a fluid inlet externally provided on the manipulator unit of the endoscope, the other end of the flexible tube communicating with the fluid inlet.

Apparatus for cleaning and sterilizing a guide tube for a

A curvature control mechanism in an endoscope is disclosed. The endoscope is of the type which has a manipulator unit to which a flexible tubular member is connected and whose front end region constitutes a bendable portion. A knob member is rotatably mounted on the manipulator unit and control wires extend from the manipulator unit through the flexible member to the bendable portion so the latter can be bent by the wires in a selectively controlled manner through rotation of the knob. The curvature control mechanism includes a double cylinder type drum device including two drums fixedly mounted on a rotary shaft coupled to the knob. A pair of elongate resilient strips are wound around respective drums in mutually opposite directions and one end of each of the resilient strips is coupled to a respective control wire such that rotation of the drums in one direction causes a take-up of one of the elongate strips on its respective drum and a tension-relief in the other of the resilient strips in the form of a diametric expansion thereof, such expansion preventing an excessive slackness in the control wire to which that resilient strip is coupled while maintaining at least some tension in that control wire.

Curvature control mechanism in endoscopes

A focusing screen holding device for a single-lens reflex camera including a focusing screen, a focusing screen holding frame including focusing adjusting screws, a focusing screen retaining spring, and a hinge on one leaf of which the focusing screen retaining spring is mounted and which has an outer end with a hook engagable with the camera body. The second leaf of the spring is fixedly secured to the camera body so that the focusing screen holding frame is swingable about the shaft of the hinge. The focusing screen is accessible through the lens mount opening to replace and adjust the position of the focusing screen.

Growing community of inventors

Kamifukuoka, Japan

Shiyouichi Yamaka