Flexible endoscope

• US 6,572,538 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Takase, Seisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schopfer, Kenneth G
• Application Number:
  US09/908,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 600/139, 600/140, 600/144, 600/146
• US Class Current: 600/144
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes

Abstract

The endoscope comprises a flexible insertion member with different hardness for bending in a predetermined area of longitudinal direction thereof. This insertion member includes a flexible tube having resin sheathing layer on the outside and slender inner parts passing through the flexible tube. An amount of change in hardness level for bending of the inner parts in a longitudinal direction is designed larger than an amount of change in hardness level for bending of the sheathing layer of the flexible tube in a longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A flexible endoscope, comprising:

a flexible insertion member including a flexible tube, the flexible tube comprising a sheathing outside layer, the sheathing outside layer having a proximal portion and a distal portion in the longitudinal direction of the flexible insertion member, the proximal portion being harder than the distal portion; and

a flexibility adjustor placed in the flexible tube and having a proximal portion and a distal portion in the longitudinal direction of the insertion member, the proximal portion being harder than the distal portion,

such that an amount of change in hardness level for bending of the proximal portion of the flexibility adjustor and the distal portion of the flexibility adjustor is larger than an amount of change in hardness level for bending of the proximal portion of the sheathing outside layer and the distal portion of the sheathing outside layer.

2. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said flexibility adjustor is a stilet made of superelastic alloy.

3. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said flexibility adjustor is a stilet made of stainless steel material.

4. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing layer is made using ester thermoplastic elastomer, amide thermoplastic elastomer, styrene resin, olefin resin, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, or resin of appropriate mixture thereof.

5. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the amount of change in hardness level for bending of the sheathing layer includes approximately 0.

6. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said flexibility adjustor has a middle part of middle ranged-hardness between the distal portion of the flexibility adjustor and the proximal side of the flexibility adjustor.

7. An endoscope according to claim 2, wherein at least one end of said stilet is latched with a part of the insertion member.

8. An endoscope according to claim 6, wherein said flexibility adjustor is a stilet made of superelastic alloy.

9. An endoscope according to claim 6, wherein said flexibility adjustor is a stilet made of stainless material.

10. An endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the flexibility adjustor has a diameter size gradually changing part in which the diameter size thereof is changed gradually from the distal part of the longitudinal direction to the proximal part.

11. An endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the flexibility adjustor has a diameter size continuously changing part in which the diameter size thereof is changed continuously from the distal part of the longitudinal direction to the proximal part.

12. An endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating for bending a bending part provided on the distal portion of the flexible tube,

wherein the flexibility adjustor comprises at least one wire coating coil, the wire coating coil has a part with different hardness for bending in the longitudinal direction, coats the operating wire, and guides the operating wire.

13. An endoscope according to claim 12, wherein the wire coating coil comprises a first guiding coil coating said operating wire, and a second guiding coil coating said operating wire and having different hardness for bending from the first guiding coil and connected to the first guiding coil.

14. An endoscope according to claim 12, wherein the wire coating coil has a part to which coating treatment has been applied to form a hardening coating and an uncoated part.

15. An endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising:

operating wires for bending a bending part provided on the distal portion of the flexible tube,

wherein the flexibility adjustor comprises wire coating coils, each of the wire coating coils has a part with different hardness in the longitudinal direction, coats each of the operating wires, and guides each of the operating wires, and a part of one of the wire coating coils has different length with respect to a part of at least another one of the wire coating coils.

16. An endoscope according to claim 3, wherein at least one end of said stilet is latched with a part of the insertion member.