Endoscope with a distal video camera and a camera rotating device

Claim 1

An endoscope with a distal tubular shaft ( 2 ) of small diameter, in which at least one longitudinally extending device ( 3 , 5 ) in the form of a light guiding fiber bundle ( 3 ) is arranged, an objective ( 8 ) and a video camera ( 9 ) being arranged in a cross-sectional area ( 6 ) of the tubular shaft section ( 2 ) that is free of said at least one longitudinally extending device ( 3 , 5 ), the video camera being arranged to be rotatable about its viewing direction by means of a rotation device ( 11 , 12 ), wherein an electric motor ( 12 ) serves as the rotation device and is disposed proximally of the video camera ( 9 ) in the free cross-sectional area ( 6 ), said motor being secured to the video camera ( 9 ) with a drive shaft ( 11 ) of the motor being arranged parallel to an axis of the tubular shaft section ( 2 ), the objective ( 8 ) and the video camera being arranged in an inner tube ( 15 ) having a distal window ( 7 ), the inner tube being arranged in the free cross sectional area ( 6 ), and wherein the inner tube ( 15 ) comprises magnetically permeable material and has a smaller diameter in the region of the motor ( 12 a , 12 b ) than at the video camera ( 9 ) and extends through a motor gap extending concentrically with the drive shaft ( 11 ) between an inner rotor ( 12 a ) and an outer stator ( 12 b ) of the motor.