Abstract: An insertion device includes a thin and elongated insertion section, a rotating body which is rotated to advance or retreat the insertion section, a driving force supply source which supplies a driving force to the rotating body, a variable stiffness section provided for the insertion section and permitting stiffness of the insertion section to be varied, a stiffness detector which detects the stiffness of the insertion section varied by the variable stiffness section, and a controller which controls the driving force supply source in accordance with the stiffness of the insertion section detected by the stiffness detector.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion section, a rotational housing, a motor, and a controller. The motor rotates the rotational housing. The controller designates a rotational direction of the motor. The controller limits the rotational direction of the motor to allow the insertion section to move only in a removal direction when inspection control for inspecting an operation relative to an insertion direction of the insertion section is initiated.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion section, a motor that rotates a rotational housing, a drive control unit that supplies a driving current to the motor to control driving of the motor, a temperature detector provided in the rotational housing, that detects a temperature of the rotational housing, a temperature measurement unit that measures a temperature in a vicinity of the rotational housing based on a detection result obtained from the temperature detector, a heating element used for heating, and a heating control unit that controls the heating element to perform heating when a measurement result of the temperature measurement unit is lower than a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion section, a motor that rotates a rotational housing, a drive control unit that supplies a driving current to the motor to control driving of the motor, a driving current detector that detects the driving current flowing through the motor, a torque limit value storage unit that stores a torque limit value, a temperature detector detects a temperature of the rotational housing, a temperature measurement unit that measures a temperature in a vicinity of the rotational housing based on a detection result obtained from the temperature detector, and a torque limit value correction unit that corrects the torque limit value in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit.

Abstract: An endoscope insertion shape observation apparatus includes an endoscope, a magnetic field generation coil provided at an insertion portion of the endoscope and configured to generate a magnetic field, an antenna unit configured to receive a coil signal from the magnetic field generation coil, a bending portion configured to bend the insertion portion, a bending drive section configured to drive the bending portion to bend, an insertion shape processing circuit configured to generate an insertion shape of the endoscope inserted into a subject according to a signal received from the antenna unit, a touch panel configured to display a generation result of the insertion shape processing circuit and be able to perform touch operation, and a drive section control circuit configured to control a drive amount of the bending drive section based on the touch operation on a desired location of the insertion shape displayed on the touch panel.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion portion, a power spiral tube provided with a spiral fin portion configured to extend in a spiral shape, the power spiral tube being provided on an outer circumferential direction side of the insertion portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the insertion portion around a longitudinal axis, a first motor configured to generate a drive force to rotate the power spiral tube, an operation section provided on a proximal end side of the insertion portion, a second motor configured to generate a drive force to rotate the insertion portion pivotably held to the operation section, and a second motor drive circuit configured to calculate torque to be added to the power spiral tube and perform control so as to drive the second motor in accordance with torque added to the first motor.

Abstract: A probe is a probe insertable through a channel provided in an endoscope insertion portion. The probe is provided with a plurality of accommodation portions for accommodating a plurality of coil units having a predetermined length and a predetermined height, and a plurality of axial portions. Each accommodation portion includes a base portion having a length substantially equal to the predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the probe, and two wall portions provided to stand upright at both ends of the base portion in the longitudinal direction at a height substantially equal to the predetermined height from the base portion, and the base portion and the wall portions are integrally formed. The plurality of axial portions extend from the wall portions in the longitudinal direction and connect between the plurality of accommodation portions.

Abstract: A detecting apparatus includes: a change-over switch for switching on/off display of a scope model on a liquid crystal monitor; a position calculating portion for calculating respective positions of source coils; a scope model generating portion for generating a scope model of an electronic endoscope based on the respective positions of the source coils calculated by the position calculating portion; and a selector for selectively outputting to the liquid crystal monitor a display-pause-time image stored in a display-pause-time image storing portion and a scope model image from the scope model generating portion; and a control portion for controlling each of these portions. The detecting apparatus thus displays an insertion shape of the endoscope at a timing as needed.

Abstract: An endoscope insertion shape observation probe including: a bobbin including a first insulation member provided at a front end of a core made of a magnetic member and a second insulation member provided at a rear end of the core; a coil portion formed by winding metal lines on the core; at least two terminal portions to which the metal lines are electrically connected; and signal lines having wires electrically connected to the terminal portions and extended rearward while being sandwiched between an inner circumferential surface of a tube and an outer circumferential portion of the coil portion, wherein the two terminal portions has the wires brazed respectively on surface sides thereof, the surface sides being directed in opposite directions away from each other toward outward of each magnetic coil unit, which improves resistance property of signal lines connected to plural magnetic coil units without increasing an outer diameter.

Abstract: A probe is a probe insertable through a channel provided in an endoscope insertion portion. The probe is provided with a plurality of accommodation portions for accommodating a plurality of coil units having a predetermined length and a predetermined height, and a plurality of axial portions. Each accommodation portion includes a base portion having a length substantially equal to the predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the probe, and two wall portions provided to stand upright at both ends of the base portion in the longitudinal direction at a height substantially equal to the predetermined height from the base portion, and the base portion and the wall portions are integrally formed. The plurality of axial portions extend from the wall portions in the longitudinal direction and connect between the plurality of accommodation portions.

Abstract: An endoscope insertion shape observation probe including: a bobbin including a first insulation member provided at a front end of a core made of a magnetic member and a second insulation member provided at a rear end of the core; a coil portion formed by winding metal lines on the core; at least two terminal portions to which the metal lines are electrically connected; and signal lines having wires electrically connected to the terminal portions and extended rearward while being sandwiched between an inner circumferential surface of a tube and an outer circumferential portion of the coil portion, wherein the two terminal portions has the wires brazed respectively on surface sides thereof, the surface sides being directed in opposite directions away from each other toward outward of each magnetic coil unit, which improves resistance property of signal lines connected to plural magnetic coil units without increasing an outer diameter.

Abstract: A medical instrument including a distortion detection probe disposed in an insertion portion to be inserted into the interior of an examinee provided with a plurality of FBG sensor sections that detect distortion of the insertion portion, a coordinate calculation section that calculates first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections according to a first three-dimensional coordinate system whose origin is a predetermined position based on the detection results of the FBG sensor sections, a coordinate system setting section that sets a second three-dimensional coordinate system based on the first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections, a coordinate transformation section that transforms the first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections into second three-dimensional coordinates according to the second three-dimensional coordinate system set by the coordinate system setting section and a shape display section that displays the sha

Abstract: An endoscope insertion assistant probe is inserted into a body cavity prior to insertion of an insertion portion of an endoscope into the body cavity, to assist the insertion of the endoscope, and includes a flexible, elongated probe; and a distal end guiding element that is arranged at a distal end portion of the probe. The distal end guiding element is made of a thin-film resin member and expandable by fluid.

Abstract: An endoscope inserted-shape detecting apparatus 8 includes a sense coil unit 23 in which multiple sense coil groups of sense coil groups 23A to 23I for detecting magnetic fields generated by multiple source coils 21 in an inserted-shape detecting probe 6 are placed as a part of the endoscope inserted-shape detecting apparatus 8, a signal detecting section 33, a source coil position analyzing section 35 and a signal control section 37 that selects a magnetic-field detecting element to be used for detection of a magnetic field signal based on the magnetic field generated by each of the source coils 21 from the sense coil groups 23A to 23I in a control section based on positional information signals outputted from the source coil position analyzing section 35.

Abstract: A driving block includes a plurality of magnetic-field generating elements and a driving signal generating section, and the magnetic field generated by the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements is detected by a plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements. A shape calculating block calculates a shape of an insertion portion of an endoscope based on a frequency component corresponding to a frequency of the driving signal in a detection signal detected by the plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements. Oscillation frequency of the reference clock for deciding the frequency of the driving signal is changeably set by the frequency setting section, and the reference clock with oscillation frequency set by the frequency setting section is supplied to both of the driving block and the shape calculating block.

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. First and second illumination and image pickup units are provided in the container body having opposite reference view field directions and are respectively freely tilted in an arbitrary direction within predetermined inclination angles from the reference view field direction.

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: 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 medical instrument including a distortion detection probe disposed in an insertion portion to be inserted into the interior of an examinee provided with a plurality of FBG sensor sections that detect distortion of the insertion portion, a coordinate calculation section that calculates first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections according to a first three-dimensional coordinate system whose origin is a predetermined position based on the detection results of the FBG sensor sections, a coordinate system setting section that sets a second three-dimensional coordinate system based on the first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections, a coordinate transformation section that transforms the first three-dimensional coordinates of the respective FBG sensor sections into second three-dimensional coordinates according to the second three-dimensional coordinate system set by the coordinate system setting section and a shape display section that displays the sha

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.