Endoscope apparatus
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorHideyoshi YAMAUCHI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An endoscope apparatus includes an insertion tube including a flexible tube portion, a bending system, and an image pickup device, the bending system including a plurality of actuators which are provided in the flexible tube portion. The endoscope apparatus further includes a drum around which the insertion tube is wound. The plurality of actuators in the endoscope apparatus are positioned such that when the insertion tube is pulled out from the drum by a first length, a single symmetrical direction movement is enabled, and when the insertion tube is pulled out from the drum by a second length, a double symmetrical direction movement is enabled.
Claims16
An endoscope apparatus, comprising:
- a drum;
- and
- an elongated insertion section which is windable around the drum, the elongated insertion section comprising:
- a flexible tube portion having first and second groups of actuators provided at a distal end thereof;
- a bending portion provided at the distal end of the flexible tube portion, wherein the first and second groups of actuators are operable to bend the bending portion;
- and
- a distal end portion which is provided at a distal end of the bending portion and which includes an image pickup device;
- wherein the first and second groups of actuators each comprise two actuators which are arranged in parallel and side by side adjacent to each other in a longitudinal direction of the flexible tube portion;
- and
- wherein the first and second groups of actuators are disposed apart from each other at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube portion.
An endoscope apparatus, comprising:
- an insertion tube including a flexible tube portion, a bending system, and an image pickup device, the bending system including a plurality of actuators which are provided in the flexible tube portion;
- and
- a drum around which the insertion tube is wound;
- wherein the plurality of actuators are positioned such that when the insertion tube is pulled out from the drum by a first length, a single symmetrical direction movement is enabled, and when the insertion tube is pulled out from the drum by a second length, a double symmetrical direction movement is enabled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.