Abstract: An electronic endoscope with which the electrical insulation between side faces of a solid-state imaging element and inner leads of a flexible circuit board will be secured and with which the external dimension after assembly of the unit comprised of the solid-state imaging element and the flexible circuit board can be made small. The inner leads of the flexible circuit board are bonded to pad parts disposed on the solid-state imaging element, and these inner leads are bent so as to be disposed along the side faces of the solid-state imaging element. An electrically insulating tape is attached to the side faces of the solid-state imaging element along which inner leads are disposed.

Abstract: A portable endoscope having a control part containing an entrance end portion of a light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and a hermetic illuminating light supply unit containing a light source lamp for supplying illuminating light to the light guide. The unit is connected to the control part. An armoring member is disposed at a position where it is heated by heat radiated from the light source lamp. The outer surface of the armoring member is covered with a heat-insulating cover made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. A battery chamber is formed in the illuminating light supply unit to accommodate a battery as a power supply for the lamp. A relief valve releases the pressure in the battery chamber to the outside of the unit when the pressure rises.

Abstract: A portable endoscope having a light guide for transmitting light to illuminate an object. The light guide has an entrance end portion disposed in a control part. An illuminating light supply unit contains a power supply for supplying the illuminating light to the light guide. The illuminating light supply unit is detachably connected to the control part. A lamp serving as a light source of the illuminating light is provided such that when the illuminating light supply unit is detached from the control part, the lamp is left in the control part.

Abstract: A portable endoscope system having an illuminating light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and an illuminating light supply unit for supplying illuminating light to the illuminating light guide. The entrance end portion of the illuminating light guide is disposed in an endoscope control part. The portable endoscope system includes a device for detachably connecting the illuminating light supply unit and the control part, and a connecting device for sealing a joint between the illuminating light supply unit and the control part. The connecting device seals the joint in a watertight manner so that water will not enter the portable endoscope system when the illuminating light supply unit is attached to the control part.

Abstract: A unit connecting member for connecting an illuminating light supply unit to a control part of an endoscope includes a receiving socket mounted to the control part for detachably receiving the illuminating light supply unit for connection to, and disconnection from, the control part. The unit connecting member further includes an electrically insulating member provided between the receiving socket and the control part, for electrically insulating the light supply unit from the control part. The endoscope system further including an illuminating light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and an illuminating light supply unit for supplying illuminating light to the illuminating light guide. The illuminating light supply unit is detachably attached to the control part. The portable endoscope system includes an AC/DC conversion adapter which is connected to an AC power supply to output a predetermined DC voltage and is connectable to the illuminating light supply unit.

Abstract: A portable endoscope having a control part containing an entrance end portion of a light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and an illuminating light supply unit containing a light source lamp for supplying illuminating light to the light guide. A connecting mechanism detachably connects the control part and the light supply unit. A switch for turning on/off the light source lamp is provided in the connecting mechanism. When the light supply unit is connected to the control part in a predetermined state, the switch is turned on; when the former is detached from the latter, the switch is turned off. An electric resistor may be provided for gradually reducing the electric resistance between the lamp and a power supply therefor from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state as the switch is moved from an OFF position toward an ON position.

Abstract: An exciting light filter through which exciting light which is adapted to radiate fluorescence from a living tissue is transmitted, is provided in an illumination light path defined between a light source which emits the illumination light and an object to be observed, in a fluorescence endoscope. A fluorescence filter which permits fluorescence which is radiated from the living tissue due to the illumination by the exciting light and whose wavelength is longer than that of the exciting light to pass therethrough but does not permit the exciting light to pass through the fluorescence filter, is provided in an observation light path defined between the object and a viewing portion in which an image of the object is viewed. There is a difference of 20 nm to 40 nm between the longest wavelength of the wavelength band of which more than 10% are transmitted through the exciting light filter and the shortest wavelength of the wavelength band of which more than 10% are transmitted through the fluorescence filter.

Abstract: A portable endoscope having a control part containing an entrance end portion of a light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and a hermetic illuminating light supply unit containing a light source lamp for supplying illuminating light to the light guide. The unit is connected to the control part. An armoring member is disposed at a position where it is heated by heat radiated from the light source lamp. The outer surface of the armoring member is covered with a heat-insulating cover made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. A battery chamber is formed in the illuminating light supply unit to accommodate a battery as a power supply for the lamp. A relief valve releases the pressure in the battery chamber to the outside of the unit when the pressure rises.

Abstract: An illuminating apparatus of an endoscope having a bulb disposed to face an entrance end surface of a light guide for illumination to supply illuminating light to the light guide. A concave mirror surrounds side and rear portions of the bulb to converge light emitted peripherally from the bulb in the vicinity of the entrance end surface of the light guide. A convex lens is formed at the distal end of the bulb to allow light emitted forwardly and obliquely forward from the bulb to be incident on the entrance end surface of the light guide.

Abstract: A portable endoscope system has an illuminating light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object. The light guide has an entrance end portion disposed in an endoscope control part. A light source lamp is contained in an illuminating light supply unit for supplying illuminating light to the light guide. A filament serving as a light emission source in the lamp is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the filament is approximately perpendicular to an entrance end surface of the light guide. A spheroidal reflecting mirror converges illuminating light emitted from the lamp onto the entrance end surface of the light guide. A bore is provided in a side of the mirror for receiving a head portion of the lamp. A reflecting surface is provided on an inner surface of a rear end portion of the mirror.

Abstract: A portable endoscope system has an illuminating light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object. A light source lamp contained in an illuminating light supply unit supplies light to the illuminating light guide. The entrance end portion of the illuminating light guide is disposed in an endoscope control part. The illuminating light supply unit is detachably attached to the control part. The portable endoscope system includes a connecting cable which connects the light source lamp with an external battery to supply electricity to the light source lamp from outside the endoscope system.

Abstract: A portable endoscope system including an illuminating light guide for transmitting light for illuminating an object, and an illuminating light supply unit for supplying illuminating light to the illuminating light guide. The entrance end portion of the illuminating light guide is disposed in an endoscope control part. The illuminating light supply unit is detachably attached to the control part. The portable endoscope system includes an AC/DC conversion adapter which is connected to an AC power supply to output a predetermined DC voltage and is connectable to the illuminating light supply unit.

Abstract: A bendable portion which is provided at the distal end of an insert part of an endoscope and bent by remote control. The bendable portion includes an elastic and flexible double walled tube comprising a pair of inner and outer tubes for covering the bendable portion. A device for preventing enlargement of the diameter of the inner tube is sandwiched between the inner and outer tubes.

Abstract: A mechanism of an eyepiece for an endoscope which is designed so that an ocular lens is movable along the optical axis for the purpose of dioptric adjustment and, when an attachment of a photographic recording device or an imaging device is attached to the eyepiece, the ocular lens is automatically moved to a predetermined projection position within the range of dioptric adjustment, no matter where the ocular lens is disposed in the dioptric adjustment range at that time.

Abstract: An end curving device for an endoscope of a type having a pair of wires connected at one end to a curving end portion of the endoscope adapted to be inserted into a body cavity, and an operating lever in an operating section which pushes and pulls the wires upon manual activation by the operator. An internal gear is formed on the shaft of the operating lever and is rotatably supported in the operating section. First and second pinions, which are made integral with one another, are engaged with respective racks to which the wires are coupled. The first pinion is engaged with the internal gear.

Abstract: A device for preventing the observing objective lens window of an endoscope from collecting moisture by directing a small flow of air over the front surface of the observing objective lens window to form a layer of air which has the same temperature as the ambient atmosphere thereby stabilizing the temperature of the window. A control valve is provided which shuts off the flow of air in the event that the pressure within the body cavity in which the endoscope is inserted becomes too high due to the flow of air. A first embodiment of the control valve includes a cylinder and piston arrangement in which at a first position of the piston air is allowed to flow through the tube to the endoscope end. At a second position of the piston, air is vented directly to the atmosphere. In a second embodiment, a lateral hole is provided in the piston with the area of the hole and hence flow of air controlled by a screw the position of which determines the area of the lateral aperture.

Abstract: A curvature control mechanism in an endoscope is disclosed. The endoscope is of the type which has a manipulator unit to which a flexible tubular member is connected and whose front end region constitutes a bendable portion. A knob member is rotatably mounted on the manipulator unit and control wires extend from the manipulator unit through the flexible member to the bendable portion so the latter can be bent by the wires in a selectively controlled manner through rotation of the knob. The curvature control mechanism includes a double cylinder type drum device including two drums fixedly mounted on a rotary shaft coupled to the knob.

Abstract: A curvable tube assembly for an endoscope which can be inserted through insertion paths of different curvature and along narrow and zigzag paths in a body cavity. First and second curvable tube sections are arranged in succession with one another with each of the first and second curvable sections including a plurality of articulation rings supporting one another at at least two points so as to make the curvable sections bendable in at least two directions. The free end of the second curvable section is connected to a flexible tube. At least one pair of stay coils is provided having ends fastened to the connecting point of the first and second curvable sections. Pull strings are disposed in the stay coils having first ends fastened to the first curvable section and extending to a manual operation unit of the endoscope.

Abstract: An air and water supplying device for an endoscope, having air supplying tubes connecting an air pump and an endoscope provided with an air and water switching valve. A water storing tank is provided with a compressed air receiving inlet and a cleaning water delivering outlet, and a water supplying tube connects the endoscope and the water supplying tank to supply air and water to the top end part of said endoscope. An inlet receives the compressed air in the air pump in a water supplying path made up of the water supplying tube and a water pumping-up tube in the water storing tank in such a manner that the particular inlet is normally closed by an operating valve mechanism provided therefore. When the particular inlet is opened by the operating valve mechanism, the compressed air introduced into the particular inlet causes to discharge the water left in the water supplying path.

Abstract: An air and water supplying device for an endoscope, having air supplying tubes connecting an air pump and an endoscope provided with an air and water switching valve. A water storing tank is provided with a compressed air receiving inlet and a cleaning water delivering outlet, and a water supplying tube connects the endoscope and the water supplying tank to supply air and water to the top end part of said endoscope. An inlet receives the compressed air in the air pump in a water supplying path made up of the water supplying tube and a water pumping-up tube in the water storing tank in such a manner that the particular inlet is normally closed by an operating valve mechanism provided therefore. When the particular inlet is opened by the operating valve mechanism, the compressed air introduced into the particular inlet causes to discharge the water left in the water supplying path.