EP0745347A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Endoscope
Assignee: Machida Endoscope Co Ltd
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Filing: 1996-05-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-05-20
Abstract
Abstract An optical fibers bundle 30 for the use of illumination light transmission is received in a second receiving space 14 of an insert portion 10, and an objective unit 40 is received in a distal end portion of a first receiving space 13. A holder 60 is slidably inserted in the first receiving space 13. An image sensor 65 is supported on a distal end portion of the holder 60. Signal lines 66 from the image sensor 65 extends through the holder 60 and is introduced outside. The objective unit 40 and the holder 60 are threadingly connected with each other.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshio C/O Machida Endoscope Co. Ltd. Chikama
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 20:33
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B1/00; A61B1/00163; A61B1/00174; A61B1/00064; A61B1/00071; A61B1/0008; A61B1/00096; A61B1/00101; A61B1/00177; A61B1/04; A61B1/05; A61B1/06; A61B1/0607
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
212 words
An endoscope comprising: (a) a body (I) including a hollow insert portion(10; 10A; 10L), said insert portion being elongate and having a hard distal end portion; (b) illumination light transmission means (30) whose distal end portion is disposed within the distal end portion of said insert portion and extending backwardly through said insert portion; (c) an objective optical system (42) disposed within the distal end portion of said insert portion; (d) light receiving means (65) disposed within said insert portion behind said objective optical system, and adapted to receive reflected light from an observation object via said objective optical system; and (e) image transmission means (66) for backwardly transmitting image information received by said light receiving means, said image transmission means being inserted through said insert portion; CHARACTRIZED IN THAT said endoscope further comprises (f) an objective unit (40;40A∼40H) including said objective optical system (42), and a sleeve-like support (41;40A∼41H) for receiving and supporting said objective optical system, said objective unit being detachably supported within the distal end portion of said insert portion (10,10A); and (g) retainer means (60;160;260;360;460;560) for retaining said light receiving means (65) within said insert portion, so that an axial position of said light receiving means is adjustable in accordance with an axial dimension of said objective unit(40).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
131 words
An endoscope according to claim 1, in which said retainer means having a holder (60;160;260;360;460;560) extending in an axial direction of said insert portion (10;10A;10L) and adapted to hold said light receiving means (65) at a distal end portion of said holder, said insert portion including a first and a second receiving space (13,14;13A,14A) formed in the distal end portion thereof, said first and second receiving spaces being allowed to extend in the axial direction and partitioned with each other, said first receiving space (13;13A) being opened at a distal end face of said insert portion, said objective unit (40;40A∼40H) and said holder (60) being slidably received in said first receiving space, the distal end portion of said illumination light transmission means (30) being received in said second receiving space (14;14A).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said holder (60) has a tubular-like configuration, and said image transmission means (66) is allowed to extend through an interior of said holder.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, in which said second receiving space (14) is opened at the distal end face of said insert portion (10) as in the case with said first receiving space (13).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
131 words
An endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, in which said first and second receiving spaces (13A,14A) are radially spacedly arranged with each other, a distal end opening of said second receiving space (14) being in a retracted position from the distal end of said insert portion (10A), said insert portion being provided at the distal end portion with a reflection surface (10x) facing with the distal end opening of said second receiving space and inclined relative to the axis of said insert portion, a distal end portion of said objective unit (40C,40D) projecting from the distal end of said insert portion, said objective unit being provided at the distal end portion thereof with a reflection surface (42f') for changing an optical path of the reflected light from the observation object.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which the distal end portion of said holder (60) and a rear end portion of said support (41;41A∼41G) are detachably connected with each other by connection means (41x,62x';161x;260x;361x;48,461x).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
An endoscope according to claim 6, in which said connection means includes a female thread (41x) formed in an inner peripheral surface of selected one of the rear end portion of said support and the distal end portion of said holder, and a male thread (61x;161x;260x;361x) formed on an outer peripheral surface of the remainder.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
An endoscope according to claim 2 or 7, in which an axially extending key groove (51c) is formed in a selected one of an inner peripheral surface of said body and an outer peripheral surface of said holder, and a key (63) to be fitted in said key groove is formed on the remainder.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
97 words
An endoscope according to claim 6, in which said connection means includes a first engagement projection (48) formed on an inner periphery of selected one of the rear end portion of said support and the distal end portion of said holder and projecting radially inwardly, and a second engagement projection (461x) formed on an outer periphery ofthe remainder and projecting radially outwardly, selected one of said first and second engagement projections extending in a circumferential direction and formed in a part thereof with an axially extending passage groove for allowing the passage of the remaining engagement projection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, further comprising engagement means (15,45;15E,45E;45F;46) for causing said objective unit (40;40A∼40H) to engage the distal end portion of said insert portion (10;10A) so that said objective unit is axially correctly positioned.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
An endoscope according to claim 10, in which said engagement means has an engagement projection (45;45E;45F) formed on the distal end portion of said support (41;41A∼41F) and projecting radially outwardly, said engagement projection being brought into engagement with the distal end portion of said insert portion (10;10A) to restrict backward movement of said objective unit (40;40A∼40F).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
73 words
An endoscope according to claim 10, in which said engagement means has an engagement projection (15) formed on an inner peripheral surface of a distal end portion of said first receiving space (13) of said insert portion (10) and projecting radially inwardly, the distal end of said support being brought into engagement with said engagement projection to restrict forward movement of said objective unit (40;40G;40H) so that said objective unit is correctly positioned.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
An endoscope according to claim 12, in which an axially extending passage groove (49) is formed in an outer peripheral surface of said support adapted to allow the passage of said engagement projection (15) when said objective unit (40H) is inserted into said insert portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
70 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said insert portion (10; 10A) is hard over an entire length thereof, said body has a hollow base portion (20) disposed on a basal end of said insert portion, and said holder (60) extends through said insert portion and said base portion and projects backwardly of said base portion, said holder being detachably secured to said base portion by fixture means (50).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
An endoscope according to claim 14, in which said fixture means has a thread (52), said thread being threaded into a threaded-hole (51b) radially extending through said base portion so that a distal end of said thread presses an outer peripheral surface of said holder (60), thereby securing said holder.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
231 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said insert portion (10) is hard over an entire length thereof, said body (1) has a hollow base portion (20) disposed on a basal end of said insert portion, and said holder (160) includes a first holder member (161) for supporting said light receiving means (65) at a distal end portion thereof and extending in the axial direction of said insert portion and a second holder member (162) disposed backwardly of said first holder member and extending axially of said insert portion, a rear end portion of said support (41) of said objective unit (40) and a distal end portion of said first holder member being detachably connected with each other by connection means (41x,161x), a rear end portion of said first holder member being associated with a distal end portion of said second holder member by a spring (170), said first holder member being biased backwardly and said second holder member being biased forwardly by said spring, so that said objective unit (40) is brought into engagement with the distal end portion of said insert portion by first engagement means (15,45) to correctly position said objective unit and prohibit said objective unit from being moved backwardly, and so that said second holder member is brought into engagement with said base portion by second engagement means (163) and prohibited from being moved forwardly.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
95 words
An endoscope according to claim 16, in which said first and second holder members (161,162) each have a tubular configuration, selected one of the rear end portion of said first holder member and the distal end portion of said second holder member being inserted into the remaining one, said spring (170) being interposed between spring retainers (161c,162b) formed respectively on the rear end of said first holder member and the distal end of said second holder member, said image transmission means (66) being allowed to extend through interiors of said first and second holder members.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
130 words
An endoscope according to claim 16 or 17, in which said second engagement means has an engagement projection (163) formed on the outer periphery of said second holder member (162) and extending radially outwardly, said engagement projection being brought into abutment with a rear face of said base portion (20) to thereby retain said second holder member, an axially extending passage groove (51c) being formed in an inner peripheral surface of said base portion adapted to allow the passage of said engagement projection, said second holder member being provided with a pressure projection (164) radially projecting from the distal end portion of said second holder member, said pressure projection being brought into abutment with the rear end of said first holder member (161) when second member (162) is moved forwardly.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
160 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said insert portion (10) is hard over an entire length thereof, said body has a hollow base portion (20) disposed on a basal end of said insert portion, and said holder (260) extends through said insert portion and said base portion and projects backwardly of said base portion, a spring (270) being interposed between a spring retainer (17) formed on an inner periphery of said first receiving space (13) and another spring retainer (260z) formed on an outer periphery of said holder (260), said holder being biased backwardly by said spring, a rear end portion of said support of said objective unit and a distal end portion of said first holder member being detachably connected with each other by connection means (41x,260x), said objective unit (40) being retained at the distal end portion of said insert portion by engagement means (15,45), so that said objective unit is prohibited from being moved backwardly.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
235 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said insert portion (10) is hard over an entire length thereof, said body (1) has a hollow base portion (20) disposed on a basal end of said insert portion, and said holder (360) includes a tubular first holder member (361) for supporting said light receiving means (65) on a distal end portion thereof and extending axially of said insert portion, and a tubular second holder member (362) disposed backwardly of said first holder member, extending axially of said insert portion and projecting backwardly of said base portion, a rear end portion of said support (41) of said objective unit (40) and a distal end portion of said first holder member being detachably connected with each other by connection means (41x,361x), a rear end portion of said first holder member and a distal end portion of said second holder member being connected by a cam mechanism (3 80), said cam mechanism including a spiral groove (382) and a projection (381), said spiral groove being formed in selected one ofthe rear end portion of said first holder member and a distal end portion of said second holder member, said projection being disposed on the remainder and fitted into said spiral groove, said first holder member being axially movably but unrotatably supported by said insert portion, said second holder member being rotatably but axially unmovably supported by said base portion.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
232 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said insert portion (10) is hard over an entire length thereof, said body has a hollow base portion (20) disposed on a basal end of said insert portion, and said holder (460) includes a first holder member (461) for supporting said light receiving means (65) on a distal end portion thereof and extending axially of said insert portion, and a second holder member (462) disposed backwardly of said first holder member, extending axially of said insert portion and projecting backwardly of said base portion, a rear end portion of said support (41) of said objective unit (40) and a distal end portion of said first holder member (461) being detachably connected with each other by connection means (48;461x), a rear end portion of said first holder member and a distal end portion of said second holder member being associated with each other by a spring (470), said first holder member being biased forwardly and said second holder member is biased backwardly by said spring, said objective unit being retained at the distal end portion of said insert portion by first engagement means (15,46) so that said objective unit is correctly positioned and prohibited from being moved forwardly, said second holder member being detachably retained at said base portion by second engagement means (22y,462b) so that said second holder member is prohibited from moving backwardly.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
146 words
An endoscope according to claim 2, in which said holder (560) is shorter than said insert portion (10,10L), a spring retainer (17) is disposed on an inner periphery of said first receiving space (13) and a spring (570) is interposed between said spring retainer (17) and the rear end portion of said holder, said holder and said objective unit to be brought into abutment with said holder being biased forwardly by said spring, said first receiving space being provided on a distal end portion thereof with an engagement projection, a distal end portion of said objective unit being brought into engagement with said engagement projection so that said objective unit is correctly positioned and prohibited from being move forwardly, an axially extending passage groove for allowing the passage of said engagement projection being formed in an outer peripheral surface of said support of said objective unit.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
An endoscope according to claim 22, in which said insert portion excepting a distal end portion thereof is flexible.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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