Endoscope system including endoscope and disposable protection cover

• US 5,702,347 A
• Filed: 04/12/1996
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Akira, Tamada, Osamu, Ito, Hideo, Yabe, Hisao, Iida, Yoshihiro, Yamaya, Koji, Yamazaki, Minoru, Nakazawa, Masaaki, Tashiro, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): FLANAGAN, BEVERLY MEINDL
• Application Number:
  US08/631,133
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• US Class Current: 600/121
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00101 the distal tip features being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00137 End pieces at either end of the endoscope, e.g. caps, seals or forceps plugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00174 characterised by the viewing angles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/127 with means for preventing fogging A61B1/253 takes precedence

Abstract

In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section and an operation section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover having formed therein a forceps channel and a forceps inlet opening through which a forceps can be inserted into the forceps channel, said forceps inlet opening is selectively closed by a forceps plug which is made of resilient material and separately formed from the insertion section cover. The forceps plug is preferably formed such that it can be detachably secured to a forceps inlet opening of an ordinary coverless (without-cover) endoscope.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope having an insertion section for inserting into a cavity under inspection and an operation section to which a proximal end of the insertion section is connected; and

a protection cover having an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope and conduit channels extending within said insertion section cover, wherein said endoscope comprises a bending portion which has a first radius of curvature of bending movement in a first direction, which is opposite to a second direction in which said conduit channels are arranged viewed in a radial direction of said endoscope, said first radius of curvature being smaller than a second radius of curvature of bending movement of the bending portion in said second direction, wherein when the insertion section and the insertion section cover are assembled together, the resultant assembly has a radius of curvature in said first direction which is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the resultant assembly in said second direction.

2. An endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second radii of curvature of bending movement in the first and second directions are set such that an assembly of the insertion section cover of the protection cover and the insertion section of the endoscope is bent substantially symmetrically in the first and second direction.

3. A protection cover for use in an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section for insertion into a cavity under inspection and an operation section to which a proximal end of the insertion section is connected, said insertion section having a semicircular cross-sectional configuration, said protection cover comprising:

an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope;

a multilumen tube having a non-circular cross-sectional configuration at first and second ends of said mutilumen tube and disposed within said insertion section cover to extend from a proximal end to a distal end of said insertion section cover, a plurality of conduit channels being formed in said multilumen tube and extending from said proximal end to said distal end, said cross-sectional configuration of said multilumen tube at said first end having a size which is substantially identical to a size of said cross-sectional configuration of said multilumen tube at said second end.

4. A protection cover according to claim 3, wherein said cross-sectional configuration of said multilumen tube is substantially semicircular.

5. A protection cover according to claim 3, wherein said cross-sectional configuration of said multilumen tube is substantially elliptical.

6. A protection cover system for use in an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section for insertion into a cavity under inspection and an operation section to which a proximal end of the insertion section is connected, said protection cover system comprising:

a plurality of individual protection covers, each having a forceps channel and insertion section cover having an insertion section channel,

wherein each of said protection covers has at least one of (i) a diameter of the forceps channel, (ii) a length of the insertion section cover, and (iii) a diameter of said insertion section channel which is different from a corresponding one of each of the other protection covers and each of said protection covers further has (i) a first recess formed therein for connecting said insertion section cover with an operation section cover, (ii) a second recess formed therein for aiding in supporting the protection cover, and (iii) a nipple for use in inflating the cover, and one of said first recess, said second recess and said nipple is commonly formed for all of said protection covers.