ENDOSCOPE

• US 3,730,175 A
• Filed: 03/24/1971
• Issued: 05/01/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Masaharu Fukami, Takeshi Okada
• Original Assignee: Masaharu Fukami, Takeshi Okada
• Inventors: Okada, Takeshi, Fukami, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Laudenslager, Lucie H.
• Application Number:
  US05/127,536
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 128/4,5,6,7,8,9
• US Class Current: 600/176
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination

Abstract

Endoscope having a distal end portion connected through an elongated tube to a control housing so as to be inserted into a hollow portion of a living body for the inspection thereof. The distal end portion is provided with at least a light transmitting window such as a photographing or viewing window through which the light from an object is introduced into the distal end portion so that an image of the object is formed by an objective lens therein so as to be photographed or viewed. A plastic layer is fluidtightly provided on at least the area including the photographing or viewing window by the heat shrinkage or injection moulding of the plastic layer and an opening is formed in the plastic layer, the radially inwardly offset peripheral edge portion of which is snugly fitted in the light transmitting window, while a shoulder portion is formed in the inside of the inwardly offset peripheral edge portion along therewith. A transparent plate such as a glass plate is fitted in the shoulder portion with its peripheral edge portion firmly bonded to the shoulder portion. Alternatively, the plastic layer is made of a transparent material and the portion of the layer covering the photographing or viewing window is thickened so as to firmly fit in the window thereby providing a fluidtight transparent window.

Claims

1. In an endoscope including a control housing, an elongated tube, and a distal end portion connected to said control housing through said elongated tube so as to be inserted into a hollow portion of living body and the like to be inspected by said endoscope, said distal end portion being provided in its peripheral wall with at least a light transmitting window such as a viewing window or a photographing window, plastic layer member fluidtightly covering at least a part of said peripheral wall of said distal end portion including said light transmitting window, said plastic layer member having an opening and a radially inwardly offset peripheral edge portion, said radially inwardly offset peripheral edge portion of said opening forming a shoulder portion being closely fitted in said light transmitting window, and a transparent plate member being fitted in said radially inwardly offset peripheral edge portion of said opening and fluidtightly bonded thereto.

2. In an endoscope, according to claim 1, wherein said transparent plate member is a glass plate.

3. In an endoscope, according to claim 1, wherein said transparent plate member is a plate made of acrylic resin material.

4. In an endoscope, according to claim 1, wherein an illuminating window is provided in the peripheral wall of said distal end portion in addition to said light transmitting window, and said plastic layer member is made of a transparent plastic material and is provided with a thickened transparent portion which is closely fitted in said illuminating window so that the light is transmitted outwardly therethrough for illuminating the hollow portion into which said distal end portion is inserted.

5. In an endoscope, according to claim 1, wherein said plastic layer member is in a cylindrical form completely surrounding the peripheral wall of said distal end portion.

6. In an endoscope, according to claim 5, wherein said plastic layer member is integrally moulded with said wall so as to fluidtightly cover said wall at least partially thereof around said opening.

7. In an endoscope, according to claim 6, and having an illuminating opening in addition to said first mentioned opening in said cylindrical wall, said plastic layer member having two thickened transparent portions each fluidtightly fitting with said openings in said wall so as to provide transparent windows, respectively.