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US 8,556,799 B2Granted
Guide tube, guide tube apparatus, and endoscope system
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorsTomokazu Iwasaki, Eiichi Kobayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A guide tube having a tube; a ciliary portion including many cilia inclined in a longitudinal direction of the tube, provided in an outer peripheral portion of the tube; and a vibration portion provided on the tube for vibrating the ciliary portion so as to move the tube in the longitudinal direction.
Claims8
A guide tube comprising:
- a tube;
- a ciliary portion including many cilia inclined in a longitudinal direction of the tube, provided in an outer peripheral portion of the tube;
- and
- a vibration portion provided on the tube for vibrating the ciliary portion so as to move the tube in the longitudinal direction,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube in the vibration portion,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube by a fixing member,
- wherein the ciliary portion is constituted by winding a ciliary tape having cilia on one surface around the tube, comprising
- a plurality of the vibration portions,
- wherein part of the plurality of the vibration portions can be selectively driven,
- wherein the vibration portion has a vibration motor, and a case housing the vibration motor and having a shape in which an inner peripheral portion is in close contact with the tube, and
- a step reducing portion for reducing a step in a longitudinal direction between the case and a surface of the tube.
8 more elements
A guide tube comprising:
- a tube;
- a ciliary portion including many cilia inclined in a longitudinal direction of the tube, provided in an outer peripheral portion of the tube;
- and
- a vibration portion provided on the tube for vibrating the ciliary portion so as to move the tube in the longitudinal direction,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube in the vibration portion,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube by a fixing member,
- wherein the ciliary portion is constituted by winding a ciliary tape having cilia on one surface around the tube, comprising
- a plurality of the vibration portions,
- wherein part of the plurality of the vibration portions can be selectively driven,
- wherein the vibration portion has a vibration motor, and a case housing the vibration motor and having a shape in which an inner peripheral portion is in close contact with the tube, and
- at least any one of a microphone or a speaker at a distal end portion.
8 more elements
A guide tube comprising:
- a tube;
- a ciliary portion including many cilia inclined in a longitudinal direction of the tube, provided in an outer peripheral portion of the tube;
- and
- a vibration portion provided on the tube for vibrating the ciliary portion so as to move the tube in the longitudinal direction,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube in the vibration portion,
- wherein the ciliary portion is fixed to the tube by a fixing member,
- wherein the ciliary portion is constituted by winding a ciliary tape having cilia on one surface around the tube, comprising
- a plurality of the vibration portions,
- wherein part of the plurality of the vibration portions can be selectively driven,
- wherein the vibration portion has a vibration motor, and a case housing the vibration motor and having a shape in which an inner peripheral portion is in close contact with the tube, and
- wherein the tube has an inner diameter such that an insertion portion of an endoscope apparatus having an image pickup portion disposed at a distal end portion can be inserted.
8 more elements
A method for using an endoscope system,
- wherein the endoscope system comprises an endoscope apparatus and a guide tube apparatus,
- the endoscope apparatus has an insertion portion having an image pickup portion at a distal end portion, an endoscope operation portion for operating the insertion portion, disposed on a proximal end portion side of the insertion portion, a main body portion having a power supply portion disposed therein, and a power transmission connector for transmitting power from the power supply portion to the guide tube apparatus,
- the guide tube apparatus has a guide tube having a tube having an inner diameter such that the insertion portion can be inserted, a ciliary portion including many cilia inclined in a longitudinal direction of the tube, provided in an outer peripheral portion of the tube, and a vibration portion disposed on the tube for vibrating the ciliary portion so as to move the tube in the longitudinal direction, and
- the tube is moved in the longitudinal direction by driving the vibration portion to vibrate the ciliary portion
- wherein the endoscope system comprises at least one of the endoscope apparatus and a plurality of the guide tube apparatuses, and
- the tube is moved in the longitudinal direction by driving the vibration portion of the non-inserted guide tube apparatus, in which the insertion portion is not inserted into the tube, to vibrate the ciliary portion.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.