JPH0538325A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a curved part of an endoscope to be smoothly curved by a small manipulating force. CONSTITUTION:The endoscope 1 is provided with wire receivers 11 through which an angle wire 20 is inserted, and a curved part 5 in which several joint pieces are rotatably coupled together. Of the several wire receivers 11 provided with the several joint pieces 15, at least one of the wire receivers 11 through which the angle wires 20 corresponding to curve directions, excepting a curve direction in which a maximum curved angle is large, is located at a position shifted from the center of the joint piece 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope which has a joint piece and can be bent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an endoscope capable of observing an organ in a body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion portion into the body cavity and performing various kinds of medical treatments by using a treatment instrument inserted in a treatment instrument channel as needed. Mirrors are widely used.

Generally, an endoscope is composed of an insertion portion and an operation portion, and the insertion portion is composed of a flexible tube portion, a bending portion, and a distal end portion from the operation portion side. The bending portion internally has a large number of substantially annular joint pieces that are rotatably connected by a support shaft in the axial direction of the insertion portion. The tip of the angle wire is fixed to the most advanced joint piece, and the angle wire is inserted into a metal pipe (wire receiver) fixed to the inner surface of the joint piece. The rear end of the angle wire is fixed to a bending operation knob provided on the operation portion, and the angle wire is pulled / relaxed according to the operation of the operation knob, and the bending portion is bent. Therefore, a large number of joint pieces can be smoothly and stably curved without meandering.

On the other hand, the endoscope insertion portion needs to be made smaller in order to reduce the pain to the patient. Inside the curved tube, the wire receiver that supports the angle wire,
It contained a forceps channel, a light guide, an image guide, a solid-state image sensor, and the like, and the tip portion was thick especially due to the size of the solid-state image sensor.

However, the signal cable of the solid-state image sensor is
Since it is not so thick, the curved portion is generally thinner than the tip portion.

There are various endoscopes, for example,
Bronchoscopes need to be particularly narrow, but often bend only in two directions, up and down.

[0007] In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2114006, the tip ends of two angle wires are arranged on the tip end side so that the vertically arranged angle wires in the joint pieces do not interfere with internal organs such as forceps channels. It has been proposed that the part fixing parts are arranged so as to deviate from the upper part and the lower part by about 45 degrees to the left and right, respectively, and the angle wires are integrated into one on the operation part side.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
In the one described in JP-A 2-114006, by forming the angle wire with a plurality of wires, it is necessary to shift the insertion position of the angle wire from directly above or below the joint piece. This causes a problem that the distance to the angle wire is reduced and the amount of bending force is increased.

Further, since the wire has a complicated structure,
There are drawbacks that the wire is expensive and the assembly is troublesome.

In the case of an endoscope having two-way bending in the upper and lower directions, it is general that the bending angle is larger in the upward direction than in the downward direction. For this reason, if the upper and lower angle wires are positioned on the target with the rotary shaft of the joint piece interposed therebetween, a large amount of force is required for the bending operation in the upward bending operation. In addition, if the upward angle wire deviates from the position directly above, there will be a problem that the amount of operation will further increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of operating force required for bending a bending portion of an endoscope and to bend the bending portion smoothly.

[0012]

An endoscope according to the present invention includes a plurality of joint pieces rotatably connected to each other and a plurality of wire receivers provided inside the joint pieces to be inserted into the joint pieces. An endoscope having a bending portion in which the plurality of joint pieces are bent in response to an operation wire, and having different maximum bending angles in the bending direction of the bending portion, wherein the bending portion has a plurality of bending directions. At least one of the wire receivers in which the corresponding operation wires are inserted is provided at a position deviated from the bending direction passing through the center of the joint piece in the bending directions other than the bending direction in which the maximum bending angle is large.

[0013]

In the above construction, the maximum bending angle in the bending direction of the bending portion is different, and a larger maximum bending angle requires a larger amount of operating force for bending, and conversely a smaller maximum bending angle, Only a small amount of operating power is required. Further, the operating force amount varies depending on the positional relationship between the bending direction passing through the center of the joint piece and the corresponding operating wire, and when the operating wire is arranged at a position matching the bending direction passing through the center,
Demonstrate great power. That is, the amount of operation force is small.

On the other hand, in the endoscope, for example, when the arrangement of the wire receiver inside the joint piece is restricted by the internal organs in the bending portion, at least one of the bending directions other than the maximum bending angle that requires a small amount of bending operation force is sufficient. On the other hand, by providing the wire receiver at a position deviated from the bending direction passing through the center of the joint piece, the restriction of the internal organs can be avoided, while the bending operation force amount can be reduced and smooth bending can be obtained. ..

On the other hand, for example, temporarily, a wire receiver (operating wire) corresponding to a bending direction having a large maximum bending angle.
If the position of is displaced from the bending direction, a large amount of operation force is required, but only a small amount of force is obtained, which increases the load.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an endoscope, FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (b) is FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is an overall external view of the endoscope, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a connection state of the angle wires, and FIG. 5 is a front view and a side view showing the angle wires and the connecting members.

FIG. 3 shows an electronic endoscope. In this electronic endoscope 1, an insertion portion 3 for inserting into a body cavity of a patient is extended forward from an operation portion 2 on the proximal side, and the insertion portion 3 sequentially extends from a distal end to a distal end portion 4 and a bending portion 5. And a flexible tube portion 6, and a universal cord 7 extends from the side portion of the operation portion 2. An operating knob 9 for operating the bending portion 5 to bend and a forceps channel outlet 10 are provided on the side of the operating portion 2.

The bending portion 5 can be bent in the vertical direction,
The upper bending angle is larger, for example, the upper bending angle is 180 degrees,
The lower bending angle is 130 degrees.

The bending portion 5 has a plurality of short cylindrical joint pieces 15 alternately connected at a connecting portion to internally mount a bending tube 16 configured to be bendable, and to cover the bending tube 16. It has a rubber outer cover 19. A pair of connecting portions 17 are provided at both ends of the joint piece 15 in the circumferential direction.
The connecting portions 17 are provided so as to project at a position of 0 degree, and the connecting portions 17 are axially attached to each other by the support shafts 18 so as to be bendable in the vertical direction.

The most distal joint piece 15a is fixed to the tip portion 4. On the other hand, the last joint piece 15b
Is fitted and fixed to a connecting ring 6 a provided on the flexible tube portion 6.

The tips of two first angle wires 20 as operation wires for bending the bending tube 16 are fixed to the inside of the most distal joint piece 15a.
The two first angle wires 20 have a large number of joint pieces 15
The two wire receivers 11 projecting inside are inserted into the wire receivers 11, and the flexible tube portions 6 are inserted into the wire receivers 11 and are stretched between the operation portion 2.

The rear end of the first angle wire 20 is
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, connection fitting members 21 each having a T-shaped groove are provided. On the other hand, the second angle wires 23 each having one end fixed to the T-shaped member 22 fitted in the groove of the connection fitting member 21 are
The other ends are respectively wound around and fixed to the rack gear 24. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the connection fitting member 21 and the T-shaped member 22 are fitted in the operation portion 2, and the outer periphery thereof is covered with the heat shrinkable tube 25. Therefore, the first angle wire 20 and the second angle wire 23
While the and are connected, if the heat-shrinkable tube 25 is cut, this connection can be easily removed to replace the angle wire.

The two rack gears 24 mesh with a gear 27 fixed to a shaft 26 supported by the operation knob 9.

The first angle wire 20 has a flexible tube portion 6
It is inside the flexible tube outer rubber 28 and is inserted through the inside of the guide coil 29.

FIG. 2A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, that is, a sectional view of the bending portion 5 including the most advanced bending piece 15a. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the most advanced bending piece 15a
A solid-state image sensor 31 such as a CCD is provided inside, and two image guides 32 and a forceps channel 33 communicating with the forceps channel port 10 are inserted. The two image guides 32 are arranged close to the solid-state image pickup device 31 so that the transmitted illumination light is sufficiently distributed to the subject and an efficient image can be picked up. A window and a lighting window are arranged. Therefore, from the relationship of the arrangement of the solid-state imaging device 31, the light guide 32, etc.,
The wire receivers 11 are arranged so as to be displaced, for example, at a position of 45 degrees with respect to the vertical direction which is the bending direction.

FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1, that is, a sectional view of the bending portion 5 in the middle of the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 2B, the joint piece 15 has therein the signal line 3 connected to the solid-state imaging device 31.
4 and the two light guides 3 near the signal line 34
2 and the forceps channel 33 are inserted. Since the signal line 34 is smaller than the solid-state image sensor 31, as can be seen by comparing the insertion positions of the two light guides 32 in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, the left side of the figure with respect to the vertical direction. Since it can be placed close to the space, a spatial margin is formed. Therefore, in addition to making the bending portion 5 slender, the arrangement of the wire receiver 11 of the joint piece 15 is also different from that of the upper wire receiver 11.
Can be positioned right above, and the lower wire receiver 11 can be arranged at a position shifted from the downward direction by, for example, 25 degrees.

Taking the upper wire receiver 11 as an example, the joint piece 15 in the middle of the bending portion 5 in the axial direction from the position 45 degrees of the wire receiver 11 of the most advanced joint piece 15a.
Until the position of the wire receiver 11 reaches right above, the positions in the radial direction are gradually shifted and arranged for each joint piece 15 in which the wire receiver 11 is provided. That is, joint piece 1
The position of the wire receiver 11 provided in 5 is, for example, from 45 degrees to 40 degrees from the tip of the bending section 5 toward the middle in the axial direction.
35 degrees ... 10 degrees, 5 degrees, and immediately above, they are arranged in a staggered manner. Similarly, the lower wire receivers 11 are also sequentially shifted and arranged.

With this structure, when the operation knob 9 is operated in the upward (U) or downward (D) direction, the angle wire 20 is pulled and loosened via the gear 27 and the rack gear 24, and is bent in a predetermined direction. The part 5 is curved.

In the present embodiment, the position of the wire receiver 11 of the bending piece 15 is sequentially arranged in the radial direction from the tip end 4 side toward the middle in the axial direction under the constraint that other internal organs are arranged. To gradually shift the wire and finally receive the wire 1
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the upper wire receiver 11 is provided at a position having the maximum distance from the positions of the supporting shafts 18 and 17 facing each other, that is, in the illustrated example, right above the wire receiver 11. Therefore, by maximizing the distance from the support shafts 18, 18 that are the center of rotation of the bending, the bending portion 5 can be moved in the upward bending operation.
The amount of operating force required to bend the can be minimized, and it can be smoothly curved. Therefore, the burden on the operator can be reduced, and the burden on the angle wire can be reduced. Further, since the amount of operation force is reduced, that is, the amount of force applied to the angle wire is reduced, the durability of the angle wire is improved, the elongation of the angle wire can be reduced, and the angle down can be reduced. Also, the position of the wire receiver 11 may be sequentially shifted,
It helps to make it bend smoothly.

By the way, when the pair of angle wires are arranged so as to be offset to the left, right, up and down with respect to the left and right support shafts 18, 18, which are the centers of rotation, a phenomenon of so-called "bubbling" occurs. Yabu-nami is a state in which a pair of angle wires are arranged in a biased manner, and when the angle wires are pulled or loosened, even if the bending portion 5 is returned from the bending state to the straight state, the bending portion 5 is It is a phenomenon that it does not return to its original position, that is, it bends, depending on the deviation of the position.

However, in this embodiment, the angle wire 20 on the upper side is gradually changed from 45 degrees to the position immediately above, and finally, the angle wires 20 are equidistant from the left and right support shafts 18, 18. , One side of the support shaft 1
Since no one-sided load is applied to the shaft 8, the resistance of the support shaft 18 is also improved.

Further, the position of the upper angle wire 20 for operating a large bending angle is right above and inserted, while the position of the lower angle wire 20 for operating a smaller bending angle than the upper side is: It is offset by 25 degrees from right below. The smaller the bending angle, the smaller the amount of bending force required.
In the present embodiment, even with different maximum bending angles (vertical direction in the illustrated example), the bending angles can be obtained with substantially the same operation force amount, and the operation force amounts can be balanced in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to bend it in consideration of the difference in operation feeling, and even a beginner can use it as an inexpensive endoscope.

Furthermore, since the arrangement of the wire receiver 11 is only changed on the tip side of the bending portion 5, the assembling work is the same as the conventional one, and the fineness can be reduced. Therefore, the insertability is good and the pain to the patient is small.

6 to 8 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plurality of joint pieces, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the tip of a bending portion, and FIG. 8 is an internal view of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the same position as the CC line of FIG. 1 shown in 1st Example in a mirror.

Unlike the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment in which the endoscope of the present embodiment can be curved in two vertical directions, it can be curved in four directions of vertical and horizontal directions. In addition to the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment, the endoscope of the present embodiment is provided with a tube for air supply / water supply through the insertion portion 3 and is provided at the distal end portion 4 as illustrated. Cleaning the observation window (not shown) through the nozzle
Draining is possible. Other configurations and operations similar to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of joint pieces 41 (one of which is shown in FIG. 8) rotatably connected in the vertical and horizontal directions are provided inside the bending portion 5. The joint piece 41 shown in FIG. 6 has a support shaft 50 different from the support shaft 18 shown in FIG. The support shaft 18 is formed by grinding, but the support shaft 50 shown in FIG.
Is an integrally molded mold component for cost reduction. The caulked portion 50a of the support shaft 50 is formed by ultrasonic welding.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the position of FIG. 2A, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the curved portion taken along the line CC of FIG. 1, that is, a cross-sectional view in the middle of the axial direction. As shown in FIG.
The most advanced joint piece 41a has four wire receivers 42 (reference numeral 42 is a representative notation for explanation) projectingly provided therein, and four angle wires 20 are inserted into each wire receiver 42. .. Each of the angle wires 20 corresponds to the bending operation in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the plurality of joint pieces 41 are bent. The wire receivers 42a, 42a pass through the angle wires 20, 20 corresponding to the up and down bending. Further, the wire receivers 42b, 42b pass through the angle wires 20, 20 corresponding to the left and right bends.

Further, the most advanced joint piece 41a is provided with the solid-state image pickup device 31 therein, and the two image guides 32, the forceps channel 33 communicating with the forceps channel port 10, and the air supply / supply. Water supply tube 4
3 is inserted. The air supply / water supply tube 43 is arranged close to the solid-state imaging device 31 in order to enhance the cleaning efficiency of the observation window. For this reason, the wire receivers 42a, 42a corresponding to the upper and lower sides are arranged due to the arrangement relationship of the solid-state imaging device 31, the light guide 32, the air / water supply tube 43, and the like.
Are arranged at positions of, for example, 25 degrees with respect to the directions directly above and below, respectively. Further, the wire receiver 42b corresponding to the right is arranged so as to be displaced, for example, at a position of 10 degrees with respect to the right direction, and the wire receiver 42b corresponding to the left is arranged.
Is placed just to the left.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The signal lines 44, 44 connected to the solid-state imaging device 31, the two light guides 32 adjacent to the signal line 44, and the forceps channel 33 are inserted therein. Further, the joint piece 41 has the air supply /
The water supply tube 43 is inserted through the air supply tube 45 and the water supply tube 46 which are separated in the middle. The air supply tube 45 and the water supply tube 46 are connected to an air supply pump and a water supply tank (not shown) via the flexible tube section 6, the operation section 2 and the univar cable 7.

Inside the joint piece 41, a spatial margin is formed because there is no large-sized solid-state image pickup device 31. Therefore, in addition to narrowing the bending portion 5, the upper wire receiver 42a of the joint piece 41 is positioned directly above, and the lower wire receiver 42 is displaced from a position directly below, for example, to a position displaced by 10 degrees. Can be placed.

Taking the upper wire receiver 42a as an example, the wire receiving portion 42a of the frontmost joint piece 41a is located at 25 degrees from the wire receiving portion 42a of the joint piece 41 to a position right above the bending portion 5. By the middle of the axial direction, the radial positions of the joint pieces 41 provided with the wire receivers 42a are sequentially shifted and arranged. Similarly, the lower wire receiver 42a and the right wire receiver 42b are also
Place them in a staggered order.

With this structure, the operation knob 9 is turned up (U),
When operated in the downward (D), right (R), or left (L) direction, via the corresponding gear 27 and rack gear 24,
The angle wire 20 is pulled and loosened, and the bending portion 5 bends in a predetermined direction. Other configurations and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

9 to 11 relate to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a joint piece, FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which the joint piece is inserted into a subject, and FIG. It is a perspective view of the endoscope bending section typically shown.

Like the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment, the endoscope of the present embodiment is capable of bending in up and down two directions, and the maximum bending angle on the upper side is larger. On the other hand, the endoscope of the present embodiment,
Unlike the first embodiment, the wire receivers are not arranged to be displaced in the axial direction of the insertion portion where the joint pieces 15 are lined up. Other configurations and operations similar to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, an opening 33a of the forceps channel 33 is provided on the tip surface of the endoscope tip portion 4 and an objective lens 51 is provided on the rear end side of which the solid-state imaging device 31 shown in FIG. 9 is arranged. And the emission ends of the two light guides 32 are provided.

Further, the large number of joint pieces 15 shown in FIG.
Are schematically shown so that the arrangement of the wire receiver 11 can be easily understood. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper wire receiver 11 is arranged right above the same in the up-down direction which is the bending direction. Further, the lower wire receiver 11 is arranged so as to be displaced, for example, at a position of 35 degrees with respect to the right lower side with respect to the vertical direction which is the bending direction. Further, regarding the arrangement of the wire receivers 11 in the axial direction in which the joint pieces 15 are lined up, the upper and lower wire receivers 11 are both provided at the same position and the angle wires 20 are straightly inserted.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which the endoscope is inserted inside a subject, for example, the stomach 55. Stomach 5
Since the gastric juice 56 is accumulated in the inside of the stomach 5 in the downward direction, it is difficult to observe the inside of the stomach wall unless the gastric juice 56 is sucked and removed from the opening 33a of the forceps channel 33.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, by arranging the solid-state image sensor 31 above the joint piece 15 of the bending portion 5 and arranging the opening 33a of the forceps channel 33 below, it is possible to observe even during suction. Become. In this state,
When the upper wire receiver 11 of the joint piece 15 is arranged right above and the lower wire receiver 11 is arranged at a position deviated by 35 degrees from right below in the joint piece 15, the upper bending force amount and the lower bending force amount are equal. The operability can be improved.

In each of the above embodiments, the wire receiver may be displaced on the axial rear end side from the bending direction passing through the center of the joint piece.

Further, since the wire receivers are paired in the vertical and horizontal directions and the angle wires 20 are pulled and loosened, they may be arranged so as to be displaced in relation to each other. You may arrange without considering.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, the amount of operating force required for bending the endoscope bending portion can be reduced.
And there is an effect that it can be smoothly curved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an endoscope according to a first embodiment.

2 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
(B) is the BB sectional drawing of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an overall external view of the endoscope.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a connection state of angle wires.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a side view showing an angle wire and a connecting member.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a plurality of joint pieces according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tip side of the bending portion.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the endoscope of the present embodiment taken at the same position as the CC line of FIG. 1 shown in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view of a joint piece according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the device is inserted into a test part.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bending portion of the endoscope schematically showing the joint piece.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope 3 ... Insertion part 5 ... Bending part 11 ... Wire receiving 15, 15a, 15b ... Joint piece 17 ... Connecting part 18 ... Spindle 20 ... First angle wire

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 26, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0003

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Generally, an endoscope is composed of an insertion portion and an operation portion, and the insertion portion is composed of a flexible tube portion, a bending portion, and a distal end portion from the operation portion side. The bending portion internally has a large number of substantially annular joint pieces rotatably connected to each other in the axial direction of the insertion portion by a support shaft. The tip of the angle wire is fixed to the most advanced joint piece, and the angle wire is inserted into a metal pipe (wire receiver) fixed to the inner surface of the joint piece. The rear end of the angle wire is fixed to a bending operation knob provided in the operation portion, and the angle wire is pulled / relaxed according to the operation of the operation knob, and the bending portion is bent. Therefore, a large number of joint pieces can be smoothly and stably bent without meandering.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0007

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2114006 , the tip ends of the two angle wires are arranged so that the angle wires arranged vertically in the joint piece do not interfere with internal organs such as forceps channels. It has been proposed that the part fixing parts are arranged so as to deviate from the upper part and the lower part by about 45 degrees to the left and right, respectively, and the angle wires are integrated into one on the operation part side.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0008]

THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved] However, the real No.
In the one described in JP-A 2-114006 , by forming the angle wire with a plurality of wires, it is necessary to shift the insertion position of the angle wire from directly above or below the joint piece. This causes a problem that the distance to the angle wire is reduced and the amount of bending force is increased.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0022

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The rear end of the first angle wire 20 is
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, connection fitting members 21 each having a T-shaped groove are provided . on the other hand,
The second angle wires 23 each having one end fixed to the T-shaped member 22 that fits in the groove of the connection fitting member 21 have their other ends wound around the rack gear 24 to be fixed. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the connection fitting member 21 and the T-shaped member 22 are fitted in the operation portion 2, and the outer periphery thereof is covered with the heat shrinkable tube 25. Therefore, the first
While the angle wire 20 and the second angle wire 23 are connected to each other, if the heat shrinkable tube 25 is cut, this connection can be easily removed to replace the angle wire.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0025

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 2A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, that is, a sectional view of the bending portion 5 including the most advanced bending piece 15a. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the most advanced bending piece 15a
The solid-state image pickup device 31 made of CCD or the like is provided inside, and the two light guides 32 and the forceps channel 33 communicating with the forceps channel port 10 are inserted. The two light guides 32 are arranged close to the solid-state image sensor 31 so that the transmitted illumination light is sufficiently distributed to the subject and an efficient image can be picked up. A window and a lighting window are arranged. Therefore, the solid-state image sensor 3
1 and the light guides 32, 32, etc., the wire receivers 11 are arranged so as to be displaced at a position of, for example, 45 degrees with respect to the vertical direction which is the bending direction.

[Procedure Amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0035

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The endoscope of this embodiment can be bent in two directions, up and down.
Unlike the effective endoscope 1 of the first embodiment, it can be bent in four directions, up, down, left and right. In addition, the endoscope of the present embodiment is the first
In addition to the endoscope 1 of the embodiment, a tube for air supply / water supply is inserted into the insertion portion 3, and a cleaning window (not shown) is washed through a nozzle (not shown) provided in the tip portion 4. Draining is possible. Other configurations and operations similar to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[Procedure Amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0038

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, state-of-the-art joint piece 41a, as well is provided with the solid-state imaging device 31 in its interior, the two
Light guide 32 , forceps channel 33 communicating with the forceps channel port 10, and air / water supply tube 43
Is inserted. The air supply / water supply tube 43 is arranged close to the solid-state imaging device 31 in order to enhance the cleaning efficiency of the observation window. For this reason, the wire receivers 42a, 42a corresponding to the upper and lower sides are arranged due to the arrangement relationship of the solid-state imaging device 31, the light guide 32, the air / water supply tube 43, and the like.
Are arranged at positions of, for example, 25 degrees with respect to the directions directly above and below, respectively. In addition, the wire receiver 42b corresponding to the right is disposed so as to be displaced, for example, at a position of 10 degrees with respect to the right direction, and the wire receiver 42b corresponding to the left is disposed.
Is placed just to the left.

[Procedure Amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0039

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, as shown in FIG.
The signal lines 44, 44 connected to the solid-state imaging device 31, the two light guides 32 adjacent to the signal line 44, and the forceps channel 33 are inserted therein. Further, the joint piece 41 has the air supply /
The water supply tube 43 is inserted through the air supply tube 45 and the water supply tube 46 which are separated in the middle. The air supply tube 45 and the water supply tube 46 are connected to an air supply pump and a water supply tank (not shown) via the flexible tube section 6, the operation section 2 and the universal cable 7 .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of joint pieces that respond to a plurality of operation wires inserted through the joint pieces through a plurality of wire receivers provided inside the joint pieces that are rotatably connected to each other. Has a bending portion, the maximum bending angle of the bending direction of the bending portion is different, in a plurality of bending directions of the bending portion, in the bending direction excluding the bending direction having a large maximum bending angle, At least one of the wire receivers through which the corresponding operation wires are inserted is provided at a position displaced from a bending direction passing through the center of the joint piece.