Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Olympus Optical

Teac Optical Co., Ltd.

Yoshio Tashiro

Hisao Yabe

Minoru Yamazaki

Yoshihiro Iida

Osamu Tamada

Akira Suzuki

Hideo Ito

Hideo Itoh

Hiroshi Ishii

Keiichi Arai

Yasuhito Kura

Koji Yamaya

Masaaki Nakazawa

Yosuke Yoshimoto

Takeshi Yokoi

Yasuyuki Futatsugi

Jin Kira

Nobuaki Akui

Masahiro Kawashima

Shigeru Nakajima

Koji Kambara

Tatsuya Furukawa

Kunio Ohno

Takeshi Yagi

Hiroki Hibino

Shu Namiki

Yoshihiro Emori

Takahiro Kishi

Masaru Fukushima

Keiichi Aiso

Ichiro Nakamura

Haruki Ogoshi

Motokazu Nakamura

Tsuruo Hatori

Naruto Shinkai

Nobuhiko Washizuka

Tsutomu Ishiguro

Katsuya Nukui

Osamu Tamda

Toshiyuki Kubonoya

Atsushi Ogino

A light amplification optical fiber capable of suppressing a decrease in an amplification efficiency thereof ascribed to the concentration quenching of erbium ions, and the nonlinearity thereof is provided. At least one rare earth element, for example, Yb, which is other than the erbium ions, and which has an ion radius not smaller than 70% and not larger than 130% of that of erbium ions is doped to a core portion of an erbium ion-doped light amplification optical fiber.

Light amplification optical fiber and light amplifier using the same

In an optical amplifier, a pumping source unit 4 is positioned on a surface formed on or adjacent to one X&mdash;X of focal axes of an elliptical cylinder or an elliptical cone mainly made of SiO -glass or crystal, and an amplifying medium 3 is positioned on or adjacent to the other focal axis Y&mdash;Y, whereby, on the basis of a geometrical feature in which light emitted from a light source positioned on one of foci of an ellipse is always focused on the other focus thereof, the pumping lights are inputted to the amplifying medium efficiently.

Optical amplifier, optical amplification apparatus, and optical amplification method

In an optical amplifier having a plurality of rare earth doped optical fibers in a multi-stage, there are provided one or more optical variable attenuator means, and an attenuation amount control means for changing an optical attenuation amount of the optical variable attenuator means on the basis of temperature of the rare earth doped optical fibers or an environmental temperature. In an optical amplifier having a plurality of rare earth doped optical fibers in a multi-stage, between the rare earth doped optical fibers, there are provided a replaceable optical part, one or more optical variable attenuator means, and an attenuation amount control means for changing an optical attenuation amount of the optical variable attenuator means on the basis of temperature of the rare earth doped optical fibers or an environmental temperature. In an optical amplifier having a plurality of rare earth doped optical fibers in a multi-stage, one or more externally controllable optical variable attenuator means are provided, and an optical attenuation amount of the optical variable attenuator means is varied with intensity of input optical signal to the optical amplifier and intensity of output optical signal from the optical amplifier.

Optical amplifier

An endoscope system having a cover type endoscope provided with an elongate inserting section having therein an observation device and an illuminating device and bulge portions formed on the outer periphery at the side of a forwardmost end of the inserting section; and an endoscope cover having an endoscope inserting passage for covering and protecting the inserting section. The endoscope inserting passage receives the inserting section using the bulge portions as a guide. The bulge portions project more than the outer periphery of the inserting section.

Endoscope system having an endoscope capable of being guided into an

In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section to be inserted into a cavity under inspection, a bending portion which is provided in said insertion section near a distal end thereof and is bendable in at least two different directions and an operation section to which a proximal end of the insertion section is connected and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope and having formed therein an insertion section inserting channel into which said insertion section of the endoscope is insertable and at least one conduit channel, said insertion section and bending portion of the endoscope are formed to have a non-circular lateral cross section, a direction in which said non-circular cross section has a larger size is aligned with a direction in which said bending portion is bent by a maximum bending angle or a direction in which said non-circular cross section has a smaller size is aligned with a direction in which said bending portion is bent by a minimum bending angle.

Endoscope system including endoscope and protection cover

In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section insertable into a cavity under inspection and an operation section having at least one operation switch, the operation section being connected to a proximal end of the insertion section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope and an operation section cover for covering the operation section of the endoscope, the insertion section cover includes a forceps channel through which existing forceps for use in ordinary coverless endoscopes can be inserted. An inner diameter of the forceps channel is determined to be slightly larger than an outer diameter of most frequently used forceps or standard forceps whose number is maximized in the outer diameter series of the forceps.

Endoscope system including endoscope and disposable protection cover

An endoscope system provided with an electronic or optical endoscope is provided therein with an illuminating optical system, an observation optical system, a flow passage system and a forceps channel. Cleaning and disinfection operations are performed on the endoscope so that the endoscope is reusable. An electronic or optical cover type endoscope is provided therein with an illuminating optical system and an observation optical system. The cover type endoscope is used with an endoscope cover having a flow passage system and a forceps channel mounted on the cover type endoscope. The endoscope cover is discarded and replaced whereby the cover type endoscope is reused. Peripheral equipment for endoscope inspection used in combination with the endoscopes is capable of being selectively connected to any of the endoscopes.

Endoscope system including both reusable-type and cover-type endoscopes

In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section and an operation section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover having formed therein a forceps channel and a forceps inlet opening through which a forceps can be inserted into the forceps channel, the forceps inlet opening is selectively closed by a forceps plug which is made of resilient material and separately formed from the insertion section cover. The forceps plug is preferably formed such that it can be detachably secured to a forceps inlet opening of an ordinary coverless (without-cover} endoscope.

An endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section which extends from a proximal end to a distal end and is inserted into a cavity under inspection and an operation section connected to the proximal end of the insertion section, and a protection cover including an insertion section inserting channel which extends from a proximal end to a distal end and into which said insertion section of the endoscope is insertable and a conduit channel which extends from the proximal end to the distal end, the improvement being characterized in that a distal end portion of the insertion section has a non-circular cross section such as a semicircular or oval cross section and a proximal end portion of the insertion section has a substantially circular cross section. A distal end member of the insertion section inserting channel has an accommodating portion which is a corresponding non-circular cross section.

A cover system endoscope apparatus in which an insert part cover sheath for isolating the insert part of a cover endoscope is airtightly connected to a distal end constructive part of a tip part of an insert part cover. The insert part cover sheath is composed of a soft resin such as polyurethane exhibiting an excellent chemical resistance and a relatively high flexibility. The tip side of the cover sheath is connectively covered on an outer peripheral edge of the rear end of the distal end constructive part. The insert part cover sheath is formed with a forceps inlet on its near-at-hand side. Connected airtightly thereto is an endoscope manipulation part fixing mouth part having an expansion tube mouth for connecting an expansion tube and further a connecting part connected to a cover holding tool. An opening of an endoscope insert channel provided in an interior of the insert part cover sheath is formed on the near-at-hand side of the endoscope manipulation part fixing mouth part. The tip of the endoscope manipulation part fixing mouth part is connected to the distal end constructive part of the cover. Protruded are conduits such as air and water supply conduits and a channel communicating with a forceps outlet. These conduits are each formed of a soft resin such as PTFE exhibiting a low flexibility but a relatively high rigidity. A flexural rigidity when combining these conduits is larger than a flexural rigidity of the insert part cover sheath.

Endoscope apparatus of an endoscope cover system for preventing buckling

A cover-fit endoscope can be used while being covered with a cover so that it is watertight. An appliance channel is extended through the cover and an appliance insertion inlet of the channel is open. This opening of the appliance insertion inlet is provided with an integral appliance plug. It is therefore possible to prevent the contaminated appliance plug from being fitted to the sterilized cover by mistake, and also to prevent leakage of the body fluids. Thus, the cover-fit endoscope is kept from contamination. The cover and the appliance plug are both discarded after use. The need for washing and disinfecting the cover-fit endoscope is eliminated, and use of the sterilized appliance plug is always ensured to reduce a fear of infection.

Channeled endoscope cover fitted type endoscope

In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section and an operation section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover having formed therein a forceps channel and a forceps inlet opening through which a forceps can be inserted into the forceps channel, said forceps inlet opening is selectively closed by a forceps plug which is made of resilient material and separately formed from the insertion section cover. The forceps plug is preferably formed such that it can be detachably secured to a forceps inlet opening of an ordinary coverless (without-cover) endoscope.

An endoscope cover apparatus including a joint portion for fixing a control portion of an endoscope disposed adjacent to an operator, and extending insertion-portion cover disposed in front of the joint portion, a cover leading member disposed in the leading portion of the insertion-portion cover, a first tubular passage member passing through the cover-type endoscope from the joint portion to the cover leading member to continuously connect opening portions respectively formed in the cover leading member and the joint portion, and a second tubular passage member for continuously connecting the tubular passage of the joint portion to an external device.

Endoscope cover apparatus for use with cover-type endoscope and

A cover-type endoscope apparatus comprises a cover and a covering endoscope used by being inserted into the cover. At least one hand-side tube line of tube lines forming a plurality of channels provided in the cover has a thickness larger than a thickness of an inserting-side tube line.

Cover-type endoscope apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Hino, Japan

Yoshio Tashiro