Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Pentax Corporation

The Jikei University School of Medicine

Toshiyuki Hashiyama

Kenichi Ohara

Tetsuya Nakamura

Akira Sugiyama

Satoshi Takami

Tetsuya Tarumoto

Minoru Matsushita

Naoki Suzuki

Kazuki Sumiyama

Naoshi Koizumi

Motoko Kawamura

An endoscope system is provided, including an endoscope having a flexible inserting tube to be inserted into a human body and a plurality of bending sensors distributed over the flexible inserting tube along the longitudinal direction thereof. Each of the bending sensors detects the local bending state of the flexible inserting tube at the location the bending sensor are provided. A computer adapted to receive data on the local bending state from each of the plurality of bending sensors is also provided. The computer generates a graphical image representing the geometrical configuration of the flexible inserting tube from the data on the local bending states. A monitor connected to the computer to display the graphical image generated by the computer.

Endoscope system

In a radial scan, forward viewing ultrasonic endoscope, centering mating portions that permit the outer surface of an ultrasonic probe and the outer surface of a tip body to meet flush with each other at the boundary are formed in the ultrasonic probe and in the tip body and the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the ultrasonic probe and the mating surface of the front half of the tip body is formed to be larger than the gap between the centering mating portions.

Forward viewing and radial scanning ultrasonic endoscope

In a radial scan, forward viewing ultrasonic endoscope, a plurality of flexible substrates for transmitting signals to and from an ultrasonic probe extend rearward from the ultrasonic probe, a flexible substrate passage hole of an arcuate cross-sectional shape through which the flexible substrates pass is formed in a front end portion body in an axial direction, and the wirings on the flexible substrates are connected to a signal cable passing through the insertion portion of the endoscope.

Radial scan, forward viewing ultrasonic endoscope

An ultrasonic endoscope has a bending portion, an ultrasonic probe, and a flexible circuit board. The bending portion, connected to the point of a flexible tube, bends along two predetermined bending-directions perpendicular to each other, by remote control. The ultrasonic probe has a plurality of ultrasonic wave vibrators, which are arranged circumferentially, and send ultrasonic waves radially and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves. The flexible circuit board, which transmits signals associated with the ultrasonic waves and the echoes, is constructed of a plurality of flexible circuit board strips in the bending portion so as to allow a bending motion. The plurality of flexible circuit board strips are arranged such that a bending-resistance to the bending motion occurs symmetrically with respect to a primary central line, corresponding to one of the two bending-directions.

Ultrasonic endoscope

An ultrasonic endoscope has a bending portion, an ultrasonic probe, and a flexible circuit board. The bending portion, connected to the point of a flexible tube, bends by remote control. The ultrasonic probe has a plurality of ultrasonic wave vibrators, which are arranged circumferentially, and send ultrasonic waves radially and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves. The flexible circuit board, which transmits signals associated with the ultrasonic waves and the echoes, is constructed of a plurality of flexible circuit board strips in the bending portion so as to allow a bending motion. The plurality of ultrasonic wave coaxial lines, which are provided in the flexible tube to form an ultrasonic wave coaxial cable and are connected to the plurality of flexible circuit board strips, are loose and flexible in a given range.

In an ultrasonic endoscope, a plurality of flexible substrates are connected to an ultrasonic probe as a signal transmission member for transmitting a signal which is inputted into/outputted from the ultrasonic probe. The plurality of flexible substrates are drawn into a curved portion and connected to a signal cable at lengthwise different positions respectively in the inside of a flexible tube portion.

An ultrasonic endoscope has a bending portion, an ultrasonic probe, and a flexible circuit board. The bending portion, connected to the point of a flexible tube, bends along two predetermined bending-directions perpendicular to each other, by remote control. The ultrasonic probe has a plurality of ultrasonic wave vibrators, which are arranged circumferentially, and send ultrasonic waves radially and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves. The flexible circuit board, which transmits signals associated with the ultrasonic waves and the echoes, is constructed of a plurality of flexible circuit board strips in the bending portion so as to allow a bending motion. The plurality of flexible circuit board strips is durable for the bending motion of said bending portion.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Toshiyuki Hashiyama