Endoscope apparatus with drum part to wind insertion part therearound

Abstract

According to the present invention, an endoscope system having an insertion member thereof wound about a drum comprises an electronic endoscope, a drum, an angling input unit, a motor-driven angling unit, a camera control unit, a motor-driven angling control circuit unit, and a stowage case. A bending section included in an insertion member of the electronic endoscope is motor-driven to bend, and a solid-state imaging device is incorporated at the tip of the insertion member. The insertion member is wound about the periphery of the drum. The angling input unit is separated from the electronic endoscope, and used to enter a direction of bending in which a user wants to bend the bending section. The motor-driven angling unit is incorporated in the drum, and includes a driving source for driving a driving mechanism that drives the bending section. The camera control unit controls the solid-state imaging device, and includes a signal processor for processing an electric signal sent from the solid-state imaging device to generate a video signal. The motor-driven angling control circuit unit controls the movement of the bending section. The drum is rotatably stowed in the stowage case freely.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.