公开(公告)号：US20180000325A1

公开(公告)日：2018-01-04

申请号：US15706682

申请日：2017-09-16

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/00

CPC classification number: A61B1/00135 ,  A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/0014 ,  A61B1/00154 ,  A61B1/0051 ,  G02B23/24

Abstract: Maximum hardness of a flexible tube section of an endoscope is set such that substantial maximum hardness at a time when an over-tube is attached is equal to or lower than maximum hardness of a flexible tube section of an endoscope. That is, the maximum hardness of the flexible tube section of the endoscope is set substantially equal to hardness obtained by subtracting hardness of the over-tube itself from the maximum hardness of the flexible tube section of the endoscope. In the endoscopes including a hardness changing function, maximum hardness of the endoscope, to which the over-tube is not attached, and maximum hardness of the endoscope, to which the over-tube is attached, are set substantially equal.

公开(公告)号：US20180263469A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-20

申请号：US15983201

申请日：2018-05-18

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/05 ,  A61B1/06 ,  A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/31

CPC classification number: A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/00082 ,  A61B1/00135 ,  A61B1/00154 ,  A61B1/00195 ,  A61B1/0052 ,  A61B1/05 ,  A61B1/0676 ,  A61B1/31 ,  A61M25/0054 ,  A61M25/0662 ,  A61M2025/0059 ,  G02B23/24

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an endoscope including an insertion section formed in an elongated shape, a flexible tube portion provided at a proximal end side of the insertion section, and a rigidity changing mechanism portion provided inside the flexible tube portion, and configured to change rigidity of the flexible tube portion by an operation performed on a hand side, and a flexible overtube formed in a cylindrical shape extending in an axial direction, into which the insertion section is inserted, where a rigidity change region of the flexible tube portion by the rigidity changing mechanism portion is set to be from an intermediate portion to a proximal end portion of the flexible tube portion, and a total length of the overtube in the axial direction is set to be shorter than a total length of the rigidity change region.

公开(公告)号：US20180249892A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-06

申请号：US15971050

申请日：2018-05-04

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/273 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/01

CPC classification number: A61B1/0055 ,  A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/01 ,  A61B1/018 ,  A61B1/273 ,  G02B23/24

Abstract: An endoscope system sets a hardness variation of a thick flexible tube portion and a hardness variation of a thin flexible tube portion such that their respective ratios against base hardness are constant, and as each flexible tube portion becomes thicker, the hardness variation increases and an endoscope with a relatively thin flexible tube portion has a smaller hardness variation. This makes it possible to avoid situations like an endoscope with a thick flexible tube portion lacking hardness or an endoscope with a thin flexible tube portion becoming too hard, and makes it possible to perform optimum insertion operation in accordance with the thickness of a flexible tube.

公开(公告)号：US20200323421A1

公开(公告)日：2020-10-15

申请号：US16911454

申请日：2020-06-25

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005

Abstract: An endoscope according to the present invention includes an elongated insertion portion, a flexible tube included in a proximal end side of the insertion portion, a rigidity changing mechanism provided inside the flexible tube and configured to change rigidity of the flexible tube by operation on a hand side, and a large diameter portion provided on an outer circumference of the flexible tube and configured to indicate a distal end of the rigidity changing region of the flexible tube by the rigidity changing mechanism.

公开(公告)号：US20180256010A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-13

申请号：US15978256

申请日：2018-05-14

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005

CPC classification number: A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/00096 ,  A61B1/00133 ,  A61B1/0055 ,  A61B1/0057 ,  G02B23/24 ,  G02B23/2476

Abstract: An endoscope includes: an insertion portion formed in an elongated shape; a mesh tube formed by braiding thin wires in a tubular shape and provided in a shape of a cylinder inside the insertion portion; and a rigidity changing mechanism including a coil inserted in the insertion portion and formed by winding an element wire, and a wire inserted in the coil and formed by intertwining element wires, the rigidity changing mechanism being configured to apply a compression force to the coil by pulling the wire, to adjust a bending rigidity of the insertion portion, wherein a dimension of a gap created between the thin wires in the mesh tube is set to be smaller than a diameter of the wire and larger than a diameter of each of the element wires of the wire.

公开(公告)号：US20210100433A1

公开(公告)日：2021-04-08

申请号：US17083431

申请日：2020-10-29

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takaaki TATEBAYASHI ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Naohiro NAKAMURA

IPC: A61B1/00

Abstract: A distal end hood that is detachably mounted on a distal end portion of an endoscope includes a groove having a groove bottom portion formed in a ring shape over an entire circumference at a predetermined position on an outer peripheral surface of the distal end hood, a plurality of projections, which are provided on an inner peripheral surface on one side sandwiching the groove and in each of which a tapered surface is formed, the tapered surface reducing a wall thickness by continuously increasing a diameter of an inner peripheral surface from the groove side toward a distal end surface of the distal end hood, and a locking portion provided on a side opposite to the projections sandwiching the groove and locked to the distal end portion of the endoscope, in which the projections are configured to bend at the groove bottom portion toward a proximal end side.

公开(公告)号：US20180035870A1

公开(公告)日：2018-02-08

申请号：US15785470

申请日：2017-10-17

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Suguru OKANIWA ,  Seisuke TAKASE ,  Hidehiro JOKO ,  Isamu NAKAJIMA

IPC: A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/06 ,  A61B1/04

CPC classification number: A61B1/0057 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/00071 ,  A61B1/04 ,  A61B1/06 ,  A61M25/0102 ,  A61M2025/0063

Abstract: An endoscope including: a tube having flexibility and extending from a hand side to a distal end side along a longitudinal direction, the tube being provided to an insertion portion configured to be inserted into an object; and a strand formed by twining a plurality of wires each other and arranged so as to extend in the tube, the strand having a distal end portion fixed to a distal end side of the tube, wherein the strand is pulled from the hand side of the tube and a twining direction of the plurality of wires of the strand is reversed in a middle of extension in the tube.