Drive shaft, insertion instrument and insertion device
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorsYutaka Masaki, Kimihiko Naito
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive shaft extends inside a tubular section along a shaft axis, and the drive shaft rotates around the shaft axis while transmitting a driving force generated in a driving source to a driven portion. The drive shaft includes multiple extension sections, and a hard section. Each of the extension sections extends along the shaft axis. The hard section is interposed between two of the extension sections in a direction along the shaft axis, and has a higher rigidity in comparison to that of the extension sections.
Claims11
A drive shaft which extends along a central axis, and which is configured to transmit a driving force to a driven portion by being rotated around the central axis by a driving source, the drive shaft comprising:
- a coil-layer extension which includes one or more coil layers, the one or more coil layers being formed spirally around the central axis and extending along the central axis from a driving source side toward a driven portion side in the coil-layer extension, the coil-layer extension including:
- a plurality of extension sections which extend along the central axis, and which are arranged in line in a direction along the central axis;
- and
- a hard section which connects end portions of two of the extension sections in the direction along the central axis, and which has a higher rigidity in comparison to the extension sections, an outer peripheral surface of an outermost layer of the one or more coil layers being brazed to form the hard section,
- wherein the one or more coil layers extend along the central axis over the plurality of extension sections and over the hard section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.