Bendable portion of endoscope
First Claim
1. A bendable portion of an endoscope, said bendable portion attached to an insertion tube of an endoscope, said bendable portion comprising:
- an elastic body, connected to an insertion tube and formed substantially as an elongated cylinder, said elastic body being elongated in an axial direction;
a channel for inserting an internal member therethrough, said channel being formed through said elastic body along said axial direction of said elastic body;
a pressure chamber formed in a peripheral portion of said elastic body, displaced from a central axis of said elastic body and parallel to said central axis;
a fluid applying tube connected to said pressure chamber for pressurizing and depressurizing said pressure chamber with a fluid so that said pressure chamber expands and contracts and said elastic body bends; and
an expansion restraining member encircling said elastic body, said expansion restraining member preventing expansion of said elastic body in a radial direction and allowing expansion and contraction only along said axial direction when said pressure chamber is pressurized and depressurized.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A bendable portion for an endoscope includes a bending mechanism which minimizes the bendable portion diameter and allows a large degree of bending. A first bending mechanism embodiment uses fluid pressure in an axially oriented chamber in a elastic body of the bendable portion. Expansion restraining members are used to restrict the expansion of the bendable portion to only the axial direction, and to protect internal members in the bendable portion. A second bending mechanism embodiment uses a shape memory alloy coil encircling the elastic body of the bendable portion. The shape memory alloy coil is heated to define the shape of the bendable portion.
159 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A bendable portion of an endoscope, said bendable portion attached to an insertion tube of an endoscope, said bendable portion comprising:
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an elastic body, connected to an insertion tube and formed substantially as an elongated cylinder, said elastic body being elongated in an axial direction; a channel for inserting an internal member therethrough, said channel being formed through said elastic body along said axial direction of said elastic body; a pressure chamber formed in a peripheral portion of said elastic body, displaced from a central axis of said elastic body and parallel to said central axis; a fluid applying tube connected to said pressure chamber for pressurizing and depressurizing said pressure chamber with a fluid so that said pressure chamber expands and contracts and said elastic body bends; and an expansion restraining member encircling said elastic body, said expansion restraining member preventing expansion of said elastic body in a radial direction and allowing expansion and contraction only along said axial direction when said pressure chamber is pressurized and depressurized. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A bendable portion of an endoscope, said bendable portion connected to an insertion tube of an endoscope, said bendable portion comprising:
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an elastic body, connected to an insertion tube and formed substantially as an elongated cylinder, said elastic body being elongated in an axial direction; a channel having an internal member inserted therethrough, said channel being formed through said elastic body along axial direction of said elastic body; a pressure chamber formed in a peripheral portion of said elastic body, displaced from a central axis of said elastic body and parallel to said central axis; a fluid applying tube connected to said pressure chamber for pressurizing and depressurizing said pressure chamber so that said pressure chamber expands and contracts and said elastic body bends; an expansion restraining member encircling said elastic body, wherein said expansion restraining member prevents expansion of said elastic body in a radial direction and allows expansion and contraction only along said axial direction when said pressure chamber is pressurized and depressurized; and a crush-resistant member arranged around said internal member to protect said internal member when said elastic body bends. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A bendable portion of an endoscope, said bendable portion connected to an insertion tube of an endoscope, said bendable portion comprising:
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an elastic body, connected to an insertion tube and formed substantially as an elongated cylinder; a channel for inserting an internal member therethrough, said channel being formed through said elastic body along an axial direction of said elastic body; a pressure chamber formed in a peripheral portion of said elastic body, displaced from a central axis of said elastic body and parallel to said central axis, said pressure chamber formed as a through channel completely blocked by a transparent member at a remote end of said bendable portion; a fluid applying tube connected to said pressure chamber for pressurizing and depressurizing said pressure chamber so that said pressure chamber expands and contracts and said elastic body bends; and wherein said pressure chamber and said fluid applying tube are filled with a transparent liquid to transmit an illuminating light beam therethrough, and a window for transmitting said illuminating light beam is formed at an end of said pressure chamber. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A bendable portion of an endoscope, said bendable portion connected to an insertion tube of said endoscope, an bendable portion comprising:
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an elastic body, connected to an insertion tube and formed substantially as an elongated cylinder; a channel for inserting an internal member therethrough, said channel being formed through said elastic body along an axial direction of said elastic body; a pressure chamber formed in a peripheral portion of said elastic body, displaced from a central axis of said elastic body and parallel to said central axis, said pressure chamber formed as a through channel completely blocked by a transparent member at a remote end of said bendable portion; a fluid applying tube connected to said pressure chamber for pressurizing and depressurizing said pressure chamber so that said pressure chamber expands and contracts and said elastic body bends; an illumination lens arranged in said pressure chamber, said transparent member including a seal plate, said seal plate being arranged in said pressure chamber behind said illuminating lens to form an air gap between said illuminating lens and said seal plate; wherein said pressure chamber sand said fluid applying tube are filled with a transparent liquid to transmit an illuminating light beam therethrough.
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Specification