Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limited

Yasuhiro Ueda

Sakae Takehana

Takeaki Nakamura

Hideyuki Adachi

Masaaki Hayashi

Akio Nakada

Takashi Tsukaya

Shuichi Takayama

Tatsuya Yamaguchi

Yoshio Shishido

Yoshisada Aoki

Hiroki Hibino

Syuichi Takayama

Masakazu Gotanda

Atsushi Miyazaki

Yoshinao Oaki

Katsunori Sakiyama

Eiichi Fuse

Koji Fujio

Yasuo Hirata

Shinichi Nishigaki

Tadao Hagino

Hirofumi Miyanaga

Yutaka Ohshima

Nobuyuki Sakamoto

Morihide Mizumoto

Yasukazu Tatsumi

Akira Suzuki

Tomohisa Sakurai

Shinji Kaneko

Shinji Hatta

Nobuaki Akui

Masahiro Kawashima

Isami Hirao

Toshimasa Kawai

Naoki Uchiyama

Toshiaki Nishikori

Seiji Kuramoto

Hiroaki Kubokawa

Akibumi Ishikawa

Toshiki Terayama

Naruto Shinkai

Koichi Umeyama

Ichiro Takahashi

Kazuhiro Misono

Mitsugu Nagayoshi

Kouji Fujio

Hiroshi Hasegawa

Tatsuo Nagasaki

Kazuhiro Takahashi

Kazuhiro Yoshida

Takeshi Yokoi

Shinichi Imade

Hiroki Moriyama

Hitoshi Mizuno

Seiji Yamaguchi

Akihiro Horii

Kazunari Nakamura

Kenji Yoshino

Hiroyoshi Fujimori

Hitoshi Karasawa

Tetsumaru Kubota

Akira Shiga

Tsutomu Yamamoto

Tomoki Funakubo

Keiichi Arai

Mamoru Kaneko

Koichi Matsui

Masaaki Nakazawa

Akihiro Taguchi

Kunio Kinoshita

Michio Sato

Raifu Matsui

Minoru Okada

Yutaka Tatsuno

Masahito Goto

Yoshikatsu Nagayama

Hiroyuki Kusunoki

Tomoaki Sato

Masami Hamada

Masashi Abe

Nobuhiko Washizuka

Koji Taguchi

Masahiro Kumakura

Katsuya Suzuki

Saburo Hosono

Hironari Takahashi

Toshiyuki Takara

Masaya Yoshihara

Ryouji Masubuchi

Mutsumi Yoshikawa

Yutaka Fujisawa

Yuuichi Ikeda

Satoshi Tagami

Ryouichi Konou

Masahiko Iida

Koichi Hoshimitsu

Morihide Tojo

Toshiaki Nishikiori

An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope having a distal end, a port at the distal end, and a channel extending through the endoscope to the distal end and communicating with the port; and a bending insertion instrument extensible through the channel and the port. The bending insertion instrument includes angle wires provided at a distal end portion of the bending insertion instrument, and shape memory alloy wires connected to proximal end portions of the angle wires, the angle wires having a lower electrical resistance than an electrical resistance of the shape memory alloy wires. The bending insertion instrument is inserted through the channel of the endoscope such that a portion of the bending insertion instrument, which includes the shape memory alloy wires is located in the channel of the endoscope, and a bending portion of the bending insertion instrument which includes the angle wire is located at the distal end portion of the bending insertion instrument and is projected through the port of the endoscope.

Bending insertion instrument to be inserted into a body cavity through

A surgical manipulator system comprising at least one surgical manipulator, at least one guide, a detector, and a drive controller. The surgical manipulator has a surgical device for performing a desired operation. The guide guides the surgical device. The detector detects a position and/or orientation relationship between the surgical device and the guide, and/or a position and/or orientation relationship between the surgical device and another surgical device. The drive controller controls the surgical manipulator such that the surgical device is guided by the guide.

Surgical manipulation system

An ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment system having a thin tube which is capable of being inserted into a body cavity, and which has at its extreme end an observing ultrasonic vibrator for emitting ultrasonic waves for observation and a treating ultrasonic vibrator for emitting strong ultrasonic waves for treatment. Observation and treatment are performed by using ultrasonic wave. The system further includes a processing device for performing an operation other than the ultrasonic treatment at least on a region observed by using ultrasonic waves. A guide for enabling the processing device to reach the region observed by using ultrasonic waves is provided on the thin tube.

Ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment system

A fluorescent endoscope apparatus having: an endoscope that irradiates a subject portion to be observed with light transmitted through a light transmission device to obtain an object image of the subject portion to be observed; a normal observation light generating device for emitting normal light for performing normal light endoscope observation; a fluorescent observation light generating device for emitting excitation light for performing fluorescent light observation; an introduced-light switching device for selectively introducing, to the light transmission device of the endoscope, normal light emitted by the normal observation light generating device or excitation light emitted by the fluorescent observation light generating device; and an image sensing device for capturing a normal light image of the subject portion to be observed that can be obtained by irradiating the subject portion to be observed with normal light or excitation light or a fluorescent image that can be obtained due to irradiation with excitation light, the image sensing device being included or connected to the endoscope.

Fluorescent endoscope apparatus

A guiding apparatus for guiding an insertable body within an inspected object is provided with an insertable body to be inserted into an inspected object, a guided part provided in at least a part of the insertable body and to be magnetically guided and a guiding device provided outside the inspected object and to magnetically guide the guided part. The guiding device includes a guiding part for guiding the guided part and a driving device for moving the guiding part at least two-dimensionally, the guided part and guiding part are to generate a magnetic force acting between them and the guiding part is to guide the guided part with the magnetic force.

Guiding apparatus for guiding an insertable body within an inspected

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

A bending drive member to bend a bending member is arranged to extend in the direction of length of an elongate tube having flexibility, and attached to near the distal end of the tube with the distal end of the bending drive member being restricted in its position. The bending member drive member comprises a shape memory member formed by bundling together a plurality of wire-like shape memory materials each having a length, that spans from the position of one end to the other end, reversibly changed upon heating/cooling. The length of the shape memory member is changed dependent on a drive signal from a unit with a capability of heating. A non-compressive coil sheath through which the bending drive member extends is fixed at a distal end thereof to the elongate tube while the proximal end of the coil sheath is a free end with respect to the elongate tube.

Bending actuator having a coil sheath with a fixed distal end and a free

An actuator apparatus for driving a focus adjusting lens of a focus adjusting mechanism of an endoscope comprises a moving member put in slidable frictional engagement with a base of the endoscope, the moving member having coupling means for coupling with the movable portion within the endoscope, a piezoelectric element coupled to the moving member, the piezoelectric element and the moving member alone constituting a body of the actuator apparatus, and actuator control circuit for causing quick deformation in the piezoelectric element, enabling the piezoelectric element to apply an impulse force to the moving member, thereby moving the moving member against a frictional engagement force acting between the base and the moving member.

Actuator apparatus

Provided on the side of a distal end of an insertion part are an observation ultrasonic transducer for acquiring an ultrasonic image and a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer for outputting a therapeutic ultrasonic wave so as to be focused. Positioning or the like between the observation ultrasonic transducer and the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer is so conducted that a focusing point at which the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is focused is locked to a predetermined position within a scanning range of the observation ultrasonic wave. If the position of the focusing point is locked whereby a lesion part to be treated is set to a predetermined position on an ultrasonic image, it is necessarily possible to conduct the position setting to the focusing point. It is also made possible to confirm the position of the lesion part and to acoustically observe a state of the lesion part during irradiation of the therapeutic ultrasonic wave.

Ultrasonic diagnosis and therapy system in which focusing point of

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

A reduced pressure processing apparatus includes a processing vessel for performing predetermined processing to an object to be processed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an exhaust mechanism, including a main exhaust system having a relatively high exhaust pressure and a sub-exhaust system having a relatively low exhaust pressure, for evacuating the processing vessel, and an oxygen gas concentration sensor for detecting an oxygen gas concentration in the processing vessel during exhaust performed by the sub-exhaust system. The oxygen gas concentration in the processing vessel is detected while the processing vessel is evacuated with a relatively low exhaust pressure. It is determined whether leakage is present or absent by confirming a detection value is a predetermined value or less within a predetermined period of time. When leakage is absent, the processing vessel is evacuated with the relatively high exhaust pressure. When leakage is present, the exhaust is interrupted, and necessary processing is performed. When the processing vessel is set in a desired reduced pressure state, predetermined processing is performed to the substrate.

Leak detection in a reduced pressure processing apparatus

An endoscope comprises an insertion section, and this insertion section has a distal end portion, a proximal end portion, and a bendable portion located between the distal and proximal end portions. A fluid-pressure actuator is coupled to the insertion section, so as to bend the bendable portion. The fluid-pressure actuator is made up of an extensible body and an expansion-restricting member. The extensible body defines an internal space and has an extension axis along which it extends or contracts. The expansion-restricting member causes the extensible body to extend in the direction of the extension axis when a fluid is supplied into the internal space, and causes the extensible body to contract in the direction of the extensible axis when the fluid is discharged from the internal space. The bendable portion of the insertion section is bent in accordance with the extension or contraction of the extensible body.

Endoscope

An intra-tube traveling apparatus includes a moving unit to which an endoscope is held and which is self-driven to travel in a pipe path, and a movement control section for controlling movement of the moving unit. The moving unit includes an elastic actuator which is extended/contracted in the radial direction and axial directions of the pipe path upon reception of the pressurized fluid, balloons attached to the front and rear ends of the elastic actuator. Each of the balloons is radially expanded/deformed upon reception of the pressurized fluid therein to be locked to the inner surface of the pipe path. The movement control section includes a pressurized fluid supply unit, a switching control section, a stop signal output switch for outputting a stop signal for stopping a movement operation of the moving unit, and a unit fixing portion for supplying the pressurized fluid to the balloons upon reception of the stop signal from the stop signal output switch to expand/deform the lock portions, thereby fixing the moving unit to the inner surface of the pipe path.

Intra-tube traveling apparatus

A borescope apparatus comprising a flexible insertion section, a jet port formed at the insertion section, a moving device for supplying a compressed fluid to the jet port, whereby the insertion section is moved by an impellent force of the fluid ejected from the jet port, and a stabilizing device for steadily maintaining the position of the insertion section.

Borescope apparatus

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Kokubunji, Japan

Yasuhiro Ueda