Abstract: A propelling device includes a traveling body that rotates in a state of being brought into contact with an inner wall of an alimentary canal, an external cylinder around which the traveling body is wound, and a mounting cylinder on which a tip end portion of an endoscope is mounted. Three driven rollers are rotatably attached to the external cylinder. The traveling body is pinched between the driven rollers and driving gears. As the driving gears rotate, the traveling body travels in a circulating manner. A rotating shaft of the driven roller located at the center among the three driven rollers is held by a shaft hole that is made long in a gear arrangement direction in which the driving gears are disposed side by side.

Abstract: An endoscope has a head assembly for entry in a body cavity. A guide apparatus for propulsion of the head assembly is provided, and includes a shaft sleeve, a support sleeve, a drive sleeve, drive gears, an endless track device, two intermediate gears, and a motor. Two wire devices are disposed to extend in an axial direction, have distal ends to which the intermediate gears are respectively secured, for transmitting rotation of the motor to the intermediate gears. In fail-safe control, if one of the wire devices is broken, the broken wire device is detected. When the broken wire device is detected, a limited mode is set for driving the endless track device with a normal one of the wire devices in limited performance relative to normal operation. In a preferred embodiment, the guide apparatus has a differential device and two brake devices.

Abstract: An endoscope includes a head assembly having a first central axis for entry in a body cavity. In combination with the endoscope, a guide assembly includes a shaft sleeve having a lumen, for mounting on the head assembly therewith. An endless track device is supported around the shaft sleeve, for endlessly moving along the first central axis, for propulsion of the head assembly inside the body cavity. A support sleeve is disposed between the shaft sleeve and the endless track device, having a second central axis different from the first central axis, for supporting the endless track device movably. Preferably, the endoscope includes an imaging window area formed in a distal surface of the head assembly and offset from the first central axis. A position shift between the first and second central axes is predetermined according to a position shift between the imaging window area and the first central axis.

Abstract: An endoscope includes a bending section for bending a bending portion, a manipulating section for operating the bending portion to bend the bending portion, a drive section for bending the bending portion with the bending section, a brake instruction section and a brake release instruction section, and a bend amount detecting section. In response to a brake instruction, the bend amount at a point in time the brake instruction was given is detected, and the drive section is so controlled as to maintain the bend amount whereas in response to a brake release instruction, the drive force of the drive section for maintaining the bend amount is gradually reduced.

Abstract: An insertion assisting device includes a rotary body in the form of toroid, and a support and drive part for supporting the rotary body in a rotatable manner and rotating it. The support and drive part has an approximately cylindrical supporting member for supporting the rotary body in a rotatable manner. The rotary body is provided with a convex portion for increasing the thickness to improve the strength thereof. A concave portion having a shape corresponding to the shape of the convex portion is formed on a portion of a front end surface of the supporting member, which is made in contact with the convex portion. The concave portion prevents the rotary body from stopping rotating, which may be caused by point contact between the convex portion and the supporting member.

Abstract: A self-propelled device includes a mounting part mounted on an insertion part of an endoscope, a hollow toroidal rotary body, and a rotary body supporting tube that is arranged in the internal space of rotary body and supports the rotary body from the inside. The rotary body supporting tube is attached to the outside of the mounting part. The mounting part is provided with a worm wheel, and the rotary body supporting tube is provided with a driven roller. The rotary body is sandwiched between the worm wheel and the driven roller, and is circulated and moved with the rotation of the worm wheel. Wipers for closing the gap formed between the mounting part and the rotary body are provided at the front and rear ends of the mounting part, and thereby preventing entering of foreign body from the gap.

Abstract: A self-propelled device nips an endless belt between a worm wheel and a driven roller. The endless belt is circulated by rotating the worm wheel, and thereby an insertion section of an endoscope advances and retreats inside a body cavity. The driven roller has a width larger than the worm wheel, and is provided with a pair of flanges at both ends. The worm wheel is disposed between the pair of flanges. When the endless belt is nipped between the worm wheel and the driven roller, the endless belt is deformed by the pair of flanges.

Abstract: An insertion assisting device includes a rotary body formed in a toroidal shape, and a support and drive unit that rotatably supports and rotates the rotary body. The support and drive unit has two supports, a first support and a second support. The first support is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and rotatably supports the rotary body. The second support is formed in a substantially triangular tubular shape, is arranged inside the first support, and supports driving gears that transmit a driving force to the rotary body. The second support is shorter than the first support, and is arranged so that front and rear end portions thereof are located inside front and rear end portions of the first support.

Abstract: A propulsion assembly for an endoscope having a section of an elongated tube for entry in a tube of a body cavity is provided. The propulsion assembly includes a shaft sleeve, an endless track device, a support sleeve and a control wire. A first bevel gear is supported on the shaft sleeve, secured to a distal end portion of the control wire, for rotating about a first axis extending in an axial direction of the elongated tube upon rotation of the control wire. A second bevel gear is supported on the shaft sleeve in a rotatable manner about a second axis extending in a transverse direction of the elongated tube, meshed with the first bevel gear, engaged with the endless track device, for moving the endless track device in the axial direction. Preferably, the first bevel gear has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the second bevel gear.

Abstract: A guide assembly for an endoscope includes a shaft sleeve, barrel sleeve, support sleeve and endless track device for propulsion by endlessly moving in an axial direction of an elongated tube. A rotation wheel is supported on the barrel sleeve, for driving the endless track device by rotating. An idler roller is supported on the support sleeve in a rotatable manner, for keeping the endless track device movable in cooperation with the rotation wheel. A small diameter portion is formed with two axial ends of the rotation wheel by decreasing a wheel diameter thereof along a wheel axis, for allowing leaving of the idler roller from the rotation wheel upon rotationally shifting the support sleeve around the barrel sleeve, so that the endless track device is released from tight contact therewith, and separated from the barrel sleeve in the axial direction with the support sleeve.

Abstract: A propulsion assembly is for an endoscope having an elongated tube for entry in a tube of a body cavity. The propulsion assembly includes endless belts for contacting a surface of the body cavity, for propulsion by turning around in an axial direction of the elongated tube. A support sleeve supports the endless belts movably. A distal cover frame is secured to a distal side of the support sleeve. An idler roller is contained in the distal cover frame, engaged with a distal end of the endless belts, for regulating the endless belts in the axial direction. A proximal cover frame is secured to a proximal side of the support sleeve. A driving roller is contained in the proximal cover frame, engaged with a proximal end of the endless belts, for regulating the endless belts in the axial direction. The driving roller drives the endless belts.

Abstract: A propelling device includes a rotary body, an external cylinder for supporting a rotary body in a circulating manner, a first drive mechanism, and a second drive mechanism. The first drive mechanism has a torque wire and a pinion gear that are provided in a distal portion of the insertion part. The second drive mechanism has an internal cylinder mounted on the distal portion of the insertion part, a transmission gear rotatably supported outside the internal cylinder, and a housing cylinder provided outside the transmission gear. The transmission gear has a worm gear on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and a gear tooth portion that meshes with a pinion gear on an inner peripheral surface thereof. The housing cylinder has drive gears that mesh with the worm gear. Although the second mechanism is replaced at each inspection, the first mechanism provided at the insertion part is repeatedly used.

Abstract: A propelling unit of a self-propellable apparatus is attached to a front end portion of an insert section of an electronic endoscope. The propelling unit includes feeding rollers disposed at its front. On each feeding roller, one end of a belt is wound. A winding roller and a worm wheel are provided behind each feeding roller. When the worm wheel rotates, the belt is drawn out from the feeding roller, and wound up onto the winding roller. The belts move while making contact with an interior wall of a body lumen, and hence produce propulsive force to the front end portion of the insert section. When the contact between the belts and the interior wall is insufficient, a balloon is inflated to press the belts against the interior wall.

Abstract: An endoscopy system includes a self-propelling endoscope attached with a self-propelling device, a drive source device for providing drive force to the self-propelling device, a controller connected to the drive source device and for controlling moving direction and speed of the self-propelling device, and a monitor for displaying a captured image. The drive source device transmits drive information such as forward movement, backward movement, stop, speed, load torque of the self-propelling device to a processing device. The processing device displays the drive information on the monitor with the captured image.

Abstract: An endoscope has an elongated tube for entry in a body cavity. A guide assembly includes a shaft sleeve for mounting on the elongated tube. A housing sleeve is supported around the shaft sleeve. Three endless belts are secured to the housing sleeve, for endlessly moving in an axial direction of the elongated tube, and propelling the elongated tube by contacting a cavity wall of the body cavity. A driving device is contained in the housing sleeve, for driving the endless belts. Three curved walls constitute the housing sleeve, and support the endless belts movably and in a transversely curved state. Each of the endless belts includes an upper belt run, curved by the curved walls convexly outwards, for contacting the body cavity. A lower belt run is disposed inside, and tensioned between the driving device and the belt rollers.

Abstract: An endoscope includes a section of an elongated tube for imaging an object by entry in a body cavity. For use with this, a guide assembly includes a shaft sleeve for mounting on the elongated tube by reception thereof. A housing sleeve is supported around the shaft sleeve. Three endless belts are secured to the housing sleeve, for endlessly moving in an axial direction of the elongated tube, and propelling the elongated tube by contacting a cavity wall of the body cavity. A drive sleeve is contained in the housing sleeve, for driving the endless belts. Side projections as side rail portions are disposed on the housing sleeve, for covering lateral side portions of each of the endless belts at least partially, to keep the endless belts slidable. Preferably, the side projections cause curving of a center portion of the endless belts outwards with respect to a transverse direction.

Abstract: A guide assembly for an endoscope has an elongated tube for entry in a body cavity. Plural endless belts move in an axial direction of the elongated tube in contact with a cavity wall of the body cavity, to propel the elongated tube. A driving device is engaged with a first belt surface of the belts, for rotating to drive the belts. A pressure roller has a smaller width than a width of the belts in a transverse direction crosswise to the axial direction, for pressing the belts by contacting a second belt surface reverse to the first belt surface, to apply tension thereto together with the driving device. A regulating projection is formed to project from the second belt surface and to extend in the axial direction, for contacting a side surface of the pressure roller in the transverse direction, to prevent lateral misalignment of the belts.

Abstract: A guide assembly for an endoscope having an elongated tube includes a first inner sleeve, a first outer sleeve, an endless track device, engagement rollers, a second inner sleeve and idler rollers. The endless track device has an annular surface, is supported around the first outer sleeve, for endlessly moving in an axial direction of the elongated tube in contact with a wall of the body cavity, for propulsion of the elongated tube. A setting device as second outer sleeve is shiftable between a set position and a release position, for pressing the idler roller on the engagement roller when in the set position, to nip the endless track device therewith, and for retracting the idler roller from the engagement roller in an outward direction when in the release position, to facilitate removal of the endless track device from the first outer sleeve.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope system is composed of an electronic endoscope, a light source apparatus, and a temperature converter. The electronic endoscope has a CMOS sensor in a distal portion of an insert section to be inserted into a patient's body cavity. Illumination light from the light source apparatus is applied to the body cavity through the distal portion. The temperature converter obtains an average pixel value of an optical black (OB) region out of an imaging signal from the CMOS sensor, and converts the average OB pixel value into a temperature of the CMOS sensor on a frame-by-frame basis with the use of data in a temperature conversion table. The table represents a relationship between the average OB pixel value and the temperature of the CMOS sensor. Light quantity of the illumination light is adjusted in accordance with the temperature of the CMOS sensor to prevent deterioration of image quality.

Abstract: A self-propelled type of guide assembly for an endoscope includes a barrel for receiving an elongated tube of the endoscope in an axial direction. A rubber ring retains the barrel to the elongated tube in a form with a clearance space defined between the barrel and the elongated tube. The barrel includes a barrel sleeve, having a first inner diameter according to an outer diameter of the elongated tube. An end cup is formed to extend from an end of the barrel sleeve, has a second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter, for allowing the steering device in the elongated tube to steer. Furthermore, a movable endless track device has an annular surface, movable on an endless track outside the barrel, for pushing a wall of a body cavity for propulsion in the axial direction. A drive roller moves the endless track device relative to the barrel.