Abstract: An endoscope is provided that can reduce examination costs by realizing commonality of an operating unit by making an inserting unit and the operating unit attachable/detachable with respect to each other to enable the exchange of inserting units. The endoscope of this invention includes an operating unit, an inserting unit that can be detachably connected to the operating unit, and transmission and reception coils provided in the operating unit and the inserting unit, respectively, for sending and receiving signals in a non-contact manner between the operating unit and the inserting unit when the inserting unit is connected to the operating unit.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided wherein a variable rigidity portion is not restricted by a physical mechanism, and which allows a surgeon, in performing a rigidity varying operation, to operate the rigidity varying operation along with other operations without releasing inputting sections. The endoscope of the invention includes an inserting section and an operating section. The inserting section has variable-rigidity actuators. The operating section has a rigidity-variation controlling section, a trackball, and scope switches.

Abstract: In an endoscope, air/water feed pipe lines are arranged through an elongated insertion portion having an image pickup unit at its front end. In an operation portion arranged at the rear end of the insertion portion, there are provided an antenna, and a wireless transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting, using this antenna, information including image data on a subject picked up by the image pickup unit, to endoscope peripheral apparatuses in the outside.

Abstract: The endoscope has an elongated insertion portion, an operation portion provided at the rear end of the insertion portion, and a contact-less endoscope exterior body in which no electrical contact is exposed on the outer surface thereof including the insertion portion and the operation portion. Inside the endoscope exterior body, there are disposed an image pickup apparatus for picking up images and a signal processing portion for performing signal processing for the image pickup apparatus. The endoscope comprises a battery of a water-tight structure for supplying power for the image pickup apparatus and the signal processing portion, and a charging apparatus of a water-tight structure for charging the battery with power supplied in a contact-less fashion.

Abstract: An endoscope has an insertion portion provided with a freely curvable curving portion; a grip portion provided at a base end side of the insertion portion and grasped by an operator. There provided at the grip portion and in its periphery is an instructing operation element with a function of implementing a curve instructing operation of the curving portion and a function of implementing the other instructing operation different from the above described curve instructing operation.

Abstract: An endoscope of the present invention includes an insert section inserted in a subject body, an operation section provided at a base end of the insert section, a control process section provided in the operation section, for controlling an image pickup section for capturing a subject body image and a predetermined function in the operation section, a signal circuit extending from the control process section, and a connection section provided to the operation section, for allowing detachable connection of a tube unit through which at least one duct line is inserted.

Abstract: A container body includes an illumination section and an image pickup section. A tube body is integrally provided to the container body. A distal end of a hollow duct line provided in the tube body penetrates the container body to have an opening on an outer surface of the container body.

Abstract: An endoscope of the present invention includes an insert section inserted in a subject body, an operation section provided on a base end side of the insert section, a grasping section provided to the operation section and formed to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to a reference line extending in a longitudinal direction, and a plurality of instruction input sections provided to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to the reference line extending in the longitudinal direction of the grasping section.

Abstract: An endoscope system in which an endoscope can be easily cleaned and sterilized. The endoscope system includes the endoscope including at least a main body unit which is formed by collecting various channels to a part of the main body unit, and a channel unit including various channels which are communicated with the various channels collected to the main body unit, and an endoscope control device including at least a pump/electromagnetic valve control unit which controls the operation for feeding or sucking a fluid via the various channels of the endoscope.

Abstract: An endoscope system in which an endoscope can be cleaned and sterilized more easily. The endoscope system includes the endoscope including at least a main body unit formed by collecting an electric function portion, an optical function portion, and channels to a part of the main body unit, a signal line which is detachable to the main body unit and which is extended from the electric function portion of the main body unit, and a universal cord unit having a scope connector at an end portion of the universal cord unit in which a light guide extended from the optical function portion is inserted, and an endoscope control device including at least a multi-connector portion to which the scope connector of the universal cord unit is detachably arranged, a signal processing unit which controls the electric function portion of the endoscope, a light source device which controls the optical function portion of the endoscope, a light source control unit, and a power supply unit for lighting-on a lamp.

Abstract: An endoscope washer system comprises: an endoscope having a channel positioned on the inside thereof and comprising an insertion portion and an operating unit; and an endoscope washer device comprising a fluid supplying channel capable of moving between a retreated position distanced from the channel of the endoscope set in a predetermined position within the cleaning sink and a first utilizing position, to which the fluid supplying channel advances, toward the channel side from this retreated position, and makes connection to the channel of the endoscope, and a fluid channel drive mechanism that recognizes that the endoscope is positioned at the predetermined position within the cleaning sink, and automatically moves the fluid supplying channel from the retreated position to the first utilizing position.

Abstract: The invention is a sterilizing apparatus that reads information from an information recording section provided in an endoscope, sets a sterilizing process condition for sterilizing the endoscope on the basis of the read information, and controls a sterilizing process in accordance with the sterilizing process condition that is set.

Abstract: A sterilization apparatus includes a chamber in which an object to be sterilized is stored and a sterilization process is performed, and a work space forming unit which forms a space for execution of a process of storing the object in the chamber upon setting the object in a predetermined storage state and can be stored in the chamber.

Abstract: A sterilizing apparatus includes a chamber which houses an object to be sterilized so as to sterilize the object using high pressure and temperature steam, an opening/closing section which opens and closes the chamber, and an outflow inhibiting mechanism which operates when the opening/closing section is opened, to inhibit outflow of the steam from the chamber to an exterior in connection with an operation for opening the opening/closing section.

Abstract: A high temperature and pressure steam sterilization container for an endoscope, which contains the endoscope to perform a high temperature and pressure steam sterilization, is contained in a cleaner so that cleaning is possible in a state in which the endoscope is stored.

Abstract: The medical equipment rental system comprises a plurality of hospitals, and a medical equipment rental center run by a rental operator who has concluded medical equipment rental agreements with these hospitals, the hospitals and the medical equipment rental center being interconnected by means of a communications line. The medical equipment rental center dispatches endoscope equipment required by a hospital, from a stock room, on the specified date and time, recovers the equipment from the examination room of the hospital after the examination, and cleans and sterilises the endoscope device that has been rented out, in a reprocessing room, before subsequently storing the equipment in a stock room. As a result of this, by renting out medical equipment requested by a rentee system, to the rentee system, by means of a rental service system on a fee-paying basis, it is possible to support medical examinations which are efficient and inexpensive.

Abstract: A plurality of portable terminals carried by nurses and a plurality of TV cameras disposed in respective rooms are able to send and receive images to and from a TV camera controller, by means of a wireless LAN, and hence a nurse can observe the status in each room, in real time, by means of his or her portable terminal. Moreover, the TV camera controller is able to provide a multiple display of the images from the plurality of TV cameras, on a TV monitor, and therefore the status of each of the rooms can be monitored in real time in the reception area also. Consequently, work can be carried out more effectively and at lower cost, in terms of the movements performed by the nurses.

Abstract: A sterilization apparatus includes a chamber in which a material to be sterilized is stored to sterilize the material by steam having a high temperature and pressure. An opening/closing mechanism opens and closes the chamber. A cooling mechanism cools the material in a thermally isolated state from the inside of the chamber. A control section drives the cooling mechanism as the opening/closing mechanism opens the chamber after the sterilizing step ends, thereby to cool the material.

Abstract: A steam sterilization storing device comprises a cooling holding unit for holding and cooling sterilized equipment which has been sterilized by hot steam such as endoscopes, and at least one of a drying holding unit for holding and drying the sterilized equipment and a storage unit for holding and storing the sterilized equipment.

Abstract: An automatic washer disinfector apparatus performs cleaning/disinfection of an object under program control, a data storage medium which stores therein identification data concerning the object is individually provided on each object to be cleaned/disinfected, and at least one RFID transmission/reception circuit main body which enables data communication with the data storage medium when an arbitrary object is set in a cleaning chamber of the automatic washer disinfector apparatus is provided on the inside, the surface or the outer side of the automatic washer disinfector apparatus. Further, an appropriate program is selected from a plurality of cleaning/disinfection programs based on the identification data of the object obtained by data communication with the data storage medium, and the selected program is activated, thereby cleaning/disinfecting the object.