Abstract: An insertion aid for an endoscope includes a tubular body having a passage through which the insertion part is passed; and a sidewall opening part disposed in a distal portion of a sidewall portion of the tubular body, a distal end of the insertion part passed through the passage being capable of being fed from the sidewall opening part, wherein the sidewall opening part is composed of a slot whose longitudinal direction corresponds to an axial direction of the tubular body, and the sidewall opening part is provided with a tapered portion having an opening width gradually decreasing in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to satisfy the following inequality relationship: Wmin<D<Wmax, where Wmax is a maximum opening width of the tapered portion, Wmin is a minimum opening width thereof, and D is an outer diameter of the insertion part.

Abstract: In a manual control part of the present invention, a transverse section of a grip is formed in such a manner that two arches with centers inside the grip and with different radii of curvature are connected with each other. The radius of curvature of one arch the finger pads of an operator touch is larger than that of the other arch the palm of the operator touches. In addition, a part of the grip formed by the arch the finger pads touch is thinner than a part formed by the arch the palm touches.

Abstract: A manipulation mechanism for an angle section of an endoscope includes at least one pulley provided within a main operation unit, with the base ends of a pair of operating wires wound thereupon, a pulley rotating shaft extended externally from a casing of the main operation unit to rotate the pulley, an angle operating apparatus provided outside of the main operation unit and coupled to the pulley rotating shaft, a pulley supporting assembly fixedly held by the casing of the main operation unit for supporting the pulley to be reciprocally rotated over a predetermined angle, a sleeve member provided within the main operation unit for passing through the operating wires from the pulley, a pipe holder fixedly mounted to the sleeve member, and a supporting rod connected at one end to the pulley supporting assembly and being fixed to the pipe holder at the other end.

Abstract: In a manual control part of the present invention, a transverse section of a grip is formed in such a manner that two arches with centers inside the grip and with different radii of curvature are connected with each other. The radius of curvature of one arch the finger pads of an operator touch is larger than that of the other arch the palm of the operator touches. In addition, a part of the grip formed by the arch the finger pads touch is thinner than a part formed by the arch the palm touches.

Abstract: An endoscope which allows a washing brush from an endoscope control section into all tubes, thereby facilitating washing works. In the endoscope control section, a water feeding pipe, for example, is separated into a front tube and a rear tube, and their openings are exposed as washing ports. A support portion of a tube unit is disposed so as to be attachable and detachable to and from the openings of these tubes, and a rear aspirating tube is disposed in the tube unit. This configuration makes it possible to detach and brush the tubes with a washing brush inserted from the openings into the front tubes on the side of a tip section and the rear tubes on the side of a cable. Further, control switches for opening and closing the tubes can be disposed on the tube unit, and elastic tube members may be disposed between the tubes on the side of the tube unit and the tubes on the side of the control section. Furthermore, the tube unit may be made of elastic rubber as a whole.

Abstract: An expandable anchor mechanism for tentatively fixing a flexible tubular section of a bioptic or surgical treating instrument inserted in a biopsy channel of an endoscopic insertion rod. During a bioptic or surgical treatment, a fore end portion of the treating instrument is fixedly gripped by the anchor mechanism to stabilize a movable operating member of the instrument which is protruded into a body cavity from the distal end of the biopsy channel. The anchor mechanism includes an anchor control means for remote-controlling an anchor member to and from an expanded state projecting into the biopsy channel to grip a treating instrument and a flatly contracted state permitting movements of the treating instrument in the biopsy channel.

Abstract: An endoscope which is capable of appropriately sucking air in the stomach in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and which is capable of feeding and sucking a liquid and air at a portion other than the end portion. The endoscope comprises: an end portion which is also used as a suction hole and which is provided with a forceps insertion; a bendable flexible portion; and an auxiliary hole disposed in an outer peripheral groove formed in the middle of the flexible portion separately from the forceps insertion hole. An auxiliary receiving portion at the operating portion is connected to the auxiliary portion through a supply pipe. It is possible to feed or suck water or air from the flexible portion by mounting a syringe or the like in the auxiliary receiving hole. Since the auxiliary hole is disposed in the outer peripheral groove, sucking or feeding is not obstructed by a wall or the like in the body under observation.

Abstract: A structure of the end portion of a side-looking type electronic endoscope in which an irradiation window is disposed closer to the end than an observation window, thereby enabling a better observation of a deceased part at the time of treatment. The structure also facilitates the removal of a light guide. The observation window is disposed on the side surface of the endoscope, and a solid-state image sensor is attached to the observation window via the objective system member and the rectangular prism. A light guide is disposed in the space formed on the back side of the prism; and an irradiation window which is connected to the light guide is disposed closer to the end of the end portion than the observation window. It is therefore possible to observe the internal body as an object of inspection with the light irradiated from the portion closer to the end than the observation window.

Abstract: A side-looking type endoscope which leads out a manipulating tool from the side surface of the end portion thereof. A raising table for raising a manipulating tool is provided at the end portion. An arcuate groove is formed in the raising table in such a manner that the arcuate groove has a linear bottom line and the inclination of the linear bottom line when the raising table is erect is different from the inclination of the wall of the exit passage of the manipulation tool insertion channel. An arcuate groove having a curvature radius suitable for guiding the manipulating tool which is bent when the raising table is erect is formed at a part of the arcuate groove having a linear bottom line, thereby enabling a smooth movement of the manipulating tool.

Abstract: An endoscope for bile duct and pancreatic duct of double scope system including a mother endoscope having an insertion unit to be inserted into duodenum and a daughter endoscope having an insertion unit to be inserted via papilla through a forceps channel of the insertion unit.The endoscope is provided with a flexible guide tube to be inserted into bile duct and pancreatic duct through a forceps channel from the insertion hole of the mother endoscope, and the insertion unit of the daughter endoscope can be inserted into this guide tube. Further, the endoscope is provided with a core bar, which is removably mounted on one end of the guide tube and is designed to be of such length that its tip does not protrude from the tip of the guide tube when it is inserted into the guide tube.