Abstract: A cover-fit endoscope can be used while being covered with a cover so that it is watertight. An appliance channel is extended through the cover and an appliance insertion inlet of the channel is open. This opening of the appliance insertion inlet is provided with an integral appliance plug. It is therefore possible to prevent the contaminated appliance plug from being fitted to the sterilized cover by mistake, and also to prevent leakage of the body fluids. Thus, the cover-fit endoscope is kept from contamination. The cover and the appliance plug are both discarded after use. The need for washing and disinfecting the cover-fit endoscope is eliminated, and use of the sterilized appliance plug is always ensured to reduce a fear of infection.

Abstract: An endoscope includes an operating portion placed outside a living body, an insertion portion having a proximal end portion coupled to the operating portion, a distal end portion inserted in the living body, and an instrument insertion channel extending through the insertion portion, a raising mechanism having an operation wire and designed to direct the distal end portion of an instrument, caused to extend through the channel, to a predetermined position, and an operation means for operating the operation wire. The endoscope includes a distal end body portion arranged at the distal end portion of the insertion portion and incorporating an observation means for observing the interior of the living body, a support member for forming at least a portion of the outer surface of the distal end portion. The support member is detachable from the distal end body portion.

Abstract: In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section and an operation section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover having formed therein a forceps channel and a forceps inlet opening through which a forceps can be inserted into the forceps channel, said forceps inlet opening is selectively closed by a forceps plug which is made of resilient material and separately formed from the insertion section cover. The forceps plug is preferably formed such that it can be detachably secured to a forceps inlet opening of an ordinary coverless (without-cover) endoscope.

Abstract: An endoscope cover apparatus including a joint portion for fixing a control portion of an endoscope disposed adjacent to an operator, and extending insertion-portion cover disposed in front of the joint portion, a cover leading member disposed in the leading portion of the insertion-portion cover, a first tubular passage member passing through the cover-type endoscope from the joint portion to the cover leading member to continuously connect opening portions respectively formed in the cover leading member and the joint portion, and a second tubular passage member for continuously connecting the tubular passage of the joint portion to an external device.

Abstract: In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section to be inserted into a cavity under inspection, a bending portion which is provided in the insertion section near a distal end thereof and is bent in at least up and down directions and an operation section to which a proximal end of the insertion section is connected and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section dover for covering the insertion section of the endoscope and having formed therein an insertion section inserting channel into which the insertion section of the endoscope is insertable and conduit channels, the insertion section inserting channel and conduit channels are both crossed by a line which is parallel with the up and down directions, so that the distal end of the insertion section can be correctly bent in the up and down directions without being influenced by the conduit channels.

Abstract: A cover-type endoscope apparatus comprises a cover and a covering endoscope used by being inserted into the cover. At least one hand-side tube line of tube lines forming a plurality of channels provided in the cover has a thickness larger than a thickness of an inserting-side tube line.

Abstract: An endoscope cover according to the present invention has an arrangement that at least a portion of a control-portion cover for covering the control portion of a cover-type endoscope that corresponds to a soft portion of the cover-type endoscope has uniform flexibility that does not deteriorate the flexibility of said soft portion so that the insertion facility at the time of an inspection with the endoscope is maintained. An endoscope system of a type having an endoscope cover according to the present invention has a warp control knob disposed away from the body of a control portion also serving as a holding portion of the cover-type endoscope, the system having an arrangement that a warping mechanism included in the body of the control portion and the warp control knob are connected to each other by a connection member.

Abstract: An endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section which extends from a proximal end to a distal end and is inserted into a cavity under inspection and an operation section connected to the proximal end of the insertion section, and a protection cover including an insertion section inserting channel which extends from a proximal end to a distal end and into which said insertion section of the endoscope is insertable and a conduit channel which extends from the proximal end to the distal end, the improvement being characterized in that a distal end portion of the insertion section has a non-circular cross section such as a semicircular or oval cross section and a proximal end portion of the insertion section has a substantially circular cross section. A distal end member of the insertion section inserting channel has an accommodating portion which is a corresponding non-circular cross section.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an endoscope and a disposable protection cover for covering the endoscope and provided with at least one channel tube. The endoscope has an insertion section which is insertable into a cavity to be inspected, and an operation section connected to a proximal end of the insertion section. The channel tube is arranged relative to the protection cover with a first layout at the operation section and at the proximal end of the protection cover, and with a second layout at the distal end of the protection cover to provide a natural operation feel. A package cover assembly includes package covers for covering the protection cover and the operation section of the endoscope, respectively, and these package covers are detachably attached to a mouthpiece at the proximal end of the insertion section.

Abstract: An endoscope system for use in an endoscopic procedure including a plurality of endoscopes each having an insertion section to be inserted into a cavity under inspection and an operation section to which the insertion section is connected, and a plurality of disposable protection covers each having an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope and an operation section cover for covering said operation section of the endoscope. The operation section of the endoscope is provided with angle knobs for bending a distal end of the insertion section into a desired direction and said angle knobs are detachably secured to a shaft. In said operation section cover, there is formed an aperture through which said shaft is protruded from the operation section cover. All the angle knobs and shafts of all the endoscopes are constructed such that all the angle knobs can be detachably secured to any of the shafts.

Abstract: An electroendoscope apparatus which uses a plurality of types of electroendoscopes having solid-state imaging devices of different specifications and which performs signal processing on the basis of a plurality of signal processing systems, which includes: a video memory device used commonly among the plurality of signal processing systems; a circuit data recording device for recording circuit data corresponding to each of the plurality of signal processing systems; and a signal processing device, composed of programmable logic elements, which forms a dedicated processing circuit corresponding to each of the plurality of signal processing systems on the basis of the circuit data recorded by the circuit data recording device.

Abstract: An endoscope system comprises an endoscope control unit provided with an image signal generating circuit for signal processing an image pickup signal from an endoscope to generate an image signal, and a drive-signal generating circuit for generating a drive signal for driving an image pickup element provided on the endoscope; a first endoscope capable of being connected to the endoscope control unit and provided with a first image pickup element for image pickup of a subject image; a second endoscope capable of being connected to the endoscope control unit and provided with a second image pickup element different from the first image pickup element, for picking up the subject image; and a signal rationalizing circuit for rationalizing a form of a signal exchanged between at least one of the first endoscope and the second endoscope, and the endoscope control unit.

Abstract: An endoscope system detachably provided with a cover endoscope possible of being fitted with a cover and used by covering its outer surface with the cover and a coverless endoscope used without being fitted with the cover. A display range and a visual field range of an image that are obtained in the cover endoscope have substantially the same configurations as those of a display range and a visual field range of an image that are obtained in the coverless endoscope.

Abstract: A rolling bearing in which rolling elements, alternatively, the rolling elements and a pair of races are made of a ceramic material prepared by sintering a sintering material of silicon nitride containing an MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 of spinel structure and at least silicon oxide selected between silicon oxide and silicon carbide, as a sintering assistant.Such a rolling bearing is excellent in heat resistance and wearing resistant, and presents superior corrosive resistance when it is used in a corrosive atmosphere, thus having a long service life.

Abstract: An covered endoscope type of endoscopic apparatus has a covered endoscope and a cover for covering the covered endoscope. The covered endoscope has an elongated flexible inserted portion, an operated portion formed on the base end side of the inserted portion, and a universal cord extending from a side portion of the operated portion. The cover is formed of an inserted portion cover member, an operated portion cover member and a cord cover which cover the inserted portion, the operated portion and the universal cord of the covered endoscope, respectively. An operated endoscope portion fixation mouth member having a forceps inlet and an expansion tube mouth to which an expansion tube provided on an expander is connected is provided at a base end of the inserted portion cover member. An air supply tube, a water supply tube and an aspiration tube are inserted through the inserted portion cover member, the operated portion cover member and the cord cover.

Abstract: In an endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope which is used for endoscopic examination with an insertional part of an endoscope sheathed with an endoscope cover, the surfaces of the insertional part, operational part, and universal cord of the endoscope are all structured to tightly shut out water. Even when contaminated, the endoscope can be immersed in chemical and thus disinfected effortlessly.

Abstract: An endoscope includes an operating portion placed outside a living body, an insertion portion having a proximal end portion coupled to the operating portion, a distal end portion inserted in the living body, and an instrument insertion channel extending through the insertion portion, a raising mechanism having an operation wire and designed to direct the distal end portion of an instrument, caused to extend through the channel, to a predetermined position, and an operation means for operating the operation wire. The endoscope includes a distal end body portion arranged at the distal end portion of the insertion portion and incorporating an observation means for observing the interior of the living body, a support member for forming at least a portion of the outer surface of the distal end portion. The support member is detachable from the distal end body portion.

Abstract: An insert cover portion having channels including an air-supply tubular passage, a water-supply tubular passage and a suction tubular passage sidewards extending from a joint adjacent to an operator in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the insert cover portion, the insert cover portion having channels further including an external tubular passage extending outwardly. The insert cover portion has the operation facility realized by considering to prevent hindering of the operation by various tubular passages extending from the joint.

Abstract: A cover type endoscope apparatus including an endoscope cover and an endoscope to be covered which is used by being inserted into the endoscope cover. The endoscope cover can be used in common for covering a plurality of endoscopes to be covered having different lengths without changing the length of the cover.

Abstract: In an endoscope system including an endoscope having an insertion section insertable into a cavity under inspection and an operation section having at least one operation switch, said operation section being connected to a proximal end of said insertion section and a disposable protection cover having an insertion section cover for covering said insertion section of the endoscope and an operation section cover for covering said operation section of the endoscope, said insertion section cover includes a forceps channel through which existing forceps for use in ordinary without-cover endoscopes can be inserted. An inner diameter of the forceps channel is determined to be slightly larger than an outer diameter of most frequently used forceps or standard forceps whose number shows a peak in the outer diameter series of the forceps.