Endoscope propelling device

A propelling device that is mounted on an insertion part of an endoscope and receives a driving force from a driving source to propel the insertion part within a tract, comprising:

• a mounting cylinder that fits into the insertion part;
• an external cylinder disposed at an outer periphery of the mounting cylinder;
• a traveling body that moves from an inside of the external cylinder to an outside thereof and returns to the inside again so as to travel in a circulating manner, the traveling body being wound around the external cylinder so as to be made endless;
• N (N is two or more) number of driving gears that rotate by receiving the driving force from the driving source, the N number of the driving gears being disposed closer to the mounting cylinder than the traveling body inside the external cylinder, and the N number of the driving gears being disposed side by side with rotating shafts thereof parallel to each other in a direction in which the traveling body is made to travel;
• (N−1) number of first driven rollers rotatably provided at the external cylinder, each of the (N−1) number of the first driven rollers being disposed to face a portion between the adjoining driving gears, each of the (N=1) number of the first driven rollers having a rotating shaft made parallel to the rotating shafts of the driving gears, and each of the (N−1) number of the first driven rollers and each of the driving gears pinching the traveling body therebetween to transmit the rotation of each of the driving gears to the traveling body;
• and
• (N−1) number of sets of first shaft holes for holding each end of the rotating shafts of the (N−1) number of the first driven rollers, the (N−1) number of sets of the first shaft holes being formed to be long in a gear arrangement direction in which the driving gears are disposed side by side, such that the (N−1) number of the first driven rollers are held by the (N−1) number of sets of the first shaft holes so as to be movable in the gear arrangement direction.