JP4528097B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus including a bending portion on the distal end side of an insertion portion.

Conventionally, endoscopes for observing an organ in a body cavity by inserting an insertion portion into the body cavity or performing various treatments using a treatment instrument inserted into a treatment instrument channel as required are widely used. Has been. Also in the industrial field, industrial endoscopes for observing and inspecting internal scratches and corrosion of boilers, turbines, engines, chemical plants, and the like are widely used. A bending portion is provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion of such an endoscope. In the following Patent Documents 1 to 3, an example of a technique in which a linear member is connected to a bending portion and the bending portion is bent in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by pulling the linear member with a driving force by an electric motor or the like. Is disclosed.
JP 58-078635 A Japanese Patent No. 3179426 JP 61-122619 A

However, the following problems exist in the above-described conventional technology.
Since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes two motors and gear units and pulleys corresponding to the motors, the apparatus is enlarged and heavy, and a load is imposed on the operator. .

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a lightweight remote controller in which a motor and a gear unit are not provided in the middle of an insertion portion but are provided in a floor-standing main body, and a bending operation is connected to the main body. Because it is configured to perform, deterioration of workability during insertion and inspection observation is avoided, but since the distance between the bending portion and the motor is increased, the wire connecting the motor and the bending portion becomes longer and slides. There is a possibility that the driving force of the motor cannot be efficiently transmitted to the bending portion due to an increase in resistance or loosening of the wire. In such a case, the desired bending angle cannot be obtained, such as a decrease in the bending angle, or the motor needs to be enlarged in order to increase the driving force of the motor.

  Moreover, since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a mechanical structure in which the inclination angle of the motor is changed by the lever angle, it may be difficult to maintain the inclination angle. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the bending angle may change depending on the time and force of pressing the roller against the friction surface, so that excessive bending or insufficient bending may occur, and the bending operation may become difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an endoscope apparatus that can downsize the apparatus, prevent deterioration of the bending performance of the bending portion, and maintain good workability. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention is an endoscope apparatus including a bending portion on a distal end side of an insertion portion, a part of which is connected to the bending portion, and the other portion is a rotating body. And a transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force generated from a driving source to the rotating body and drives the linear member by rotating the rotating body to bend the bending portion. The transmission mechanism includes a switching mechanism capable of rotating the rotating body in both the first and second directions and switching the rotating direction of the rotating body.

  According to the present invention, the driving force generated from the drive source can be transmitted to the rotating body via the transmission mechanism, and the rotation direction of the rotating body can be switched by the switching operation by the switching mechanism, so that the apparatus can be made compact. Thus, the bending operation of the bending portion accompanying the rotation operation of the rotating body can be obtained with good workability.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the bending portion may be configured to bend in a direction corresponding to a rotation direction of the rotating body. Accordingly, the bending portion can be bent in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the rotating body only by switching the rotation direction of the rotating body by the switching mechanism.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of the linear members and the rotating bodies corresponding to the linear members are provided according to a target bending direction of the bending portion, and the transmission mechanism includes the drive source A configuration in which the generated driving force is distributed to each of the plurality of rotating bodies can be employed. Thereby, a plurality of rotating bodies can be rotated by one driving source, the apparatus can be made compact, and the bending portion can be bent in an arbitrary direction according to the number of rotating bodies.

  In the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, at least two sets of the linear member and the rotating body corresponding to the linear member are provided so that the bending portion can be bent in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, respectively. A configuration can be employed. Thereby, the bending part can be bent at least in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the transmission mechanism can employ a configuration in which each of the plurality of rotating bodies can be rotated substantially simultaneously. Thereby, the bending part can be bent in a plurality of directions according to the plurality of rotating bodies.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, when the transmission mechanism rotates the first rotating body among the plurality of rotating bodies in the first direction, the transmission mechanism moves the first rotating body to the first or second. It is possible to adopt a configuration that can rotate in either one of the directions. As a result, the bending portion is moved in the bending direction based on the rotation of the first rotating body in the first direction and the rotation of the second rotating body in the first direction, and the first direction of the first rotating body. And the bending direction based on the rotation of the second rotating body in the second direction can be curved.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the drive source includes a motor and the transmission mechanism includes a gear. Thereby, the driving force generated by the motor can be satisfactorily transmitted to the rotating body via the gear.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the switching mechanism may include a plurality of clutches, and may adopt a configuration in which the driving force is transmitted to the rotating body via a specific clutch among the plurality of clutches. Thereby, it is possible to select whether or not to transmit the driving force to the rotating body with a simple configuration in which only the operation of the clutch is performed. And a rotary body can be rotated in the direction according to the driving force (rotational force) transmitted via the specific clutch.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the endoscope includes a first clutch for rotating the rotating body in a first direction and a second clutch for rotating in the second direction, and the transmission mechanism In order to rotate the rotating body in either the first or second direction, a configuration is adopted in which the driving force is transmitted to the rotating body via either the first or second clutch. can do. As a result, one of the first and second clutches is selected, and the driving force is transmitted to the rotating body via the selected clutch, so that the rotating body is either in the first direction or the second direction. Can rotate to one side.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, a configuration including a brake that restricts rotation of the rotating body can be employed. Thereby, the bending operation of the bending part accompanying the rotation operation of the rotating body can be restricted, and the posture can be maintained.

  In the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to employ a configuration including a detection device that detects the rotation angle of the rotating body. Thereby, the bending state of the bending part according to the rotation angle of the rotating body can be grasped.

  In the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to employ a configuration including a control system that controls the rotation angle of the rotating body based on the detection result of the detection apparatus. Thereby, the bending state of the bending part accompanying rotation of a rotary body is controllable.

  According to the present invention, the entire apparatus can be made compact while preventing deterioration of the bending performance of the bending portion, and good workability can be maintained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, only the part related to the bending mechanism of the endoscope apparatus is extracted and shown, and the optical system and the like are not shown.

  In FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes an insertion portion 2, a bending portion 10 provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 2, and a drive device 3 that drives the bending portion 10. The drive device 3 is provided on the proximal end side of the insertion portion 2. The driving device 3 is connected to a main body device (control system) 5 via a universal cord 4. The main body device 5 constitutes a control system that controls the bending operation of the bending section 10, and includes a control board 21, a power source 22, a monitor 23, a drive board 24, and the like. The control board 21 is connected to an operation unit 6 including an operation remote controller 7. The operation remote controller 7 is provided with an operation switch 8 for remotely controlling the bending operation of the bending portion 10.

  The insertion portion 2 includes a flexible tube portion 9 on the proximal end side and a bending portion 10 provided on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion 9, which are connected to each other. Then, one end of each of a plurality of wires (linear members) 12 (12a, 12b) and 13 (13a, 13b) is connected to the distal end portion 11 of the bending portion 10. One end portions of the wires 12 a and 12 b are fixed so as to face each other on the end surface (tip surface) of the distal end portion 11 of the bending portion 10. In the present embodiment, one end portions of the wires 12a and 12b are fixed to the distal end portion 11 so as to be aligned in the vertical direction. In addition, one end portions of the wires 13 a and 13 b are also fixed so as to face each other at the distal end portion 11 of the bending portion 10. One end portions of the wires 13a and 13b are fixed to the tip portion 11 so as to be aligned in the left-right direction. That is, in the distal end portion 11, the arrangement direction of the wires 12a and 12b and the arrangement direction of the wires 13a and 13b are substantially orthogonal to each other.

  The wires 12a and 12b are disposed inside the bending portion 10 and the flexible tube portion 9 in a state of being disposed inside the sheaths 14a and 14b. And the other end part of the wires 12a and 12b is connected to the rotary body 15 comprised with the pulley. Specifically, the other ends of the wires 12a and 12b are wound around the rotating body 15 and connected (fixed). Similarly, the wires 13a and 13b are also arranged inside the bending portion 10 and the flexible tube portion 9 in a state of being arranged inside the sheaths 14c and 14d. And the other end part of wire 13a, 13b is connected to the rotary body 16 which consists of pulleys.

  The driving device 3 transmits the driving force generated by the rotating bodies 15 and 16, the motor 18 as a driving source, and the motor 18 to the rotating bodies 15 and 16, and rotates the rotating bodies 15 and 16 to thereby wire 12 a. , 12b, 13a, 13b and a transmission mechanism (gear unit) 17 for bending the bending portion 10. The motor 18 is connected to the drive board 24 of the main unit 5 via the universal cord 4. A signal for bending input from the operation switch 8 is input to the drive board 24 via the control board 21. The drive board 24 drives the motor 18 in accordance with the input signal. The driving force generated by the motor 18 is transmitted to the rotators 15 and 16 via the transmission mechanism 17. The rotating bodies 15 and 16 rotate based on the driving force of the motor 18 transmitted via the transmission mechanism 17. The operation of the drive device 3 including the transmission mechanism 17 is controlled by the main body device 5 as a control system. The driving device 3 including the transmission mechanism 17 is driven by electric power supplied from the main body device 5 including the power source 22. The drive device 3 including the transmission mechanism 17 operates based on an input signal input from the operation unit 6.

  When the rotating body 15 rotates under the control of the main body device 5, the wires 12a and 12b wound around and fixed to the rotating body 15 are driven. Specifically, when the rotating body 15 rotates, one of the wire 12 a and the wire 12 b is pulled by the rotating body 15 and the other is drawn out from the rotating body 15. For example, when the wire 12a is pulled out of the wires 12a and 12b, the bending portion 10 connected to the tip portion of the wire 12a is also pulled and bent toward the wire 12a side. On the other hand, when the wire 12b is pulled, the bending portion 10 connected to the tip of the wire 12b is also pulled and bent toward the wire 12b. Similarly, when the rotating body 16 rotates, one of the wires 13 a and 13 b wound around and fixed to the rotating body 16 is pulled by the rotating body 16, and the other is drawn out from the rotating body 16. For example, when the wire 13a is pulled out of the wires 13a and 13b, the bending portion 10 connected to the tip of the wire 13a is also pulled and bent toward the wire 13a. On the other hand, when the wire 13b is pulled, the bending portion 10 connected to the tip of the wire 13b is also pulled and bent toward the wire 13b.

  Here, as described above, the one end portions of the wires 12a and 12b are provided side by side in the vertical direction at the distal end portion 11 of the bending portion 10. Therefore, when the wire 12a is pulled, the bending portion 10 moves in the upward direction U. The bending portion 10 bends in the downward direction D when the wire 12b is pulled. Similarly, when the wire 13a is pulled, the bending portion 10 bends in the right direction R, and when the wire 13b is pulled, the bending portion 10 bends in the left direction L. Thus, according to the target bending direction (vertical direction and horizontal direction) of the bending portion 10, a plurality of wires (two sets in the present embodiment) corresponding to the wires are provided. In the present embodiment, the endoscope apparatus 1 bends the wire 12 (12a, 12b) that can bend the bending portion 10 in the vertical direction, the rotating body 15 corresponding to the wire 12, and the bending portion 10 in the left-right direction. The configuration includes a possible wire 13 (13a, 13b) and a rotating body 16 corresponding to the wire 13.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the driving device 3. The motor 18 is a motor that can rotate in only one direction, and is connected to the transmission mechanism 17. The transmission mechanism 17 includes a rotary shaft 30 connected to the motor 18, a plurality of gears 31 (31a, 31b) to 38 (38a, 38b), clutches 39 (39a, 39b), 40 (40a, 40b), The brake 41 (41a, 41b) is provided. The transmission mechanism 17 uses a plurality of gears to transmit the rotational force generated by the motor 18 to the rotating bodies 15 and 16 and reduces the rotational speed to increase the torque, thereby obtaining a large rotational force with a small motor. It is configured to be. Driving of the motor 18, driving of the clutches 39 and 40 (connection / separation), and operation of the brake 41 are performed under the control of the main body device 5. The motor 18, the clutches 39 and 40, and the brake 41 are driven by electric power supplied from the main body device 5.

  The transmission mechanism 17 is provided so as to distribute the driving force generated by the motor 18 to each of the rotating body 15 for bending the bending portion 10 in the vertical direction and the rotating body 16 for bending in the left-right direction. ing. When the motor 18 is driven and the drive shaft 30 connected to the motor 18 rotates, the rotational force of the motor 18 is transmitted to the rotating body 15 via the gears 31a to 38a and also via the gears 31b to 38b. And transmitted to the rotating body 16.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the connected / separated state of each of the clutches 39a, 39b, 40a, 40b, the rotating direction of the rotating bodies 15, 16, and the bending direction. Hereinafter, the relationship between the connection / separation state of the four clutches 39a, 39b, 40a, and 40b and the bending direction of the bending portion 10 will be described. The clutches 39a, 39b, 40a, and 40b function as a switching mechanism that switches the rotation direction of the rotating bodies 15 and 16, and in the present embodiment, the clutches 39a, 39b, 40a, and 40b are connected via a specific clutch. By transmitting the driving force generated by the motor 18 to the rotating bodies 15 and 16, the bending portion 10 is bent.

  As described above, the motor 18 is a motor that can rotate only in one direction. Therefore, when the motor 18 rotates, the drive shaft 30 connected to the motor 18 rotates, and the gear 31 rotates about the drive shaft 30 in the determined direction as shown by the arrow in FIG. As the gear 31 rotates, the gears 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b, 34a, 34b, 35a, and 35b rotate in a predetermined direction (+ θ) as indicated by arrows in FIG.

  For example, when the gear 31 fixed to the drive shaft 30 by the drive of the motor 18 rotates in the + θ direction in FIG. 2, the gear 32a and the gear 33a having a smaller diameter than the gear 32a are − with the rotation of the gear 31a. Rotate in the θ direction. As the gear 33a rotates, the gear 34a rotates in the + θ direction, and the gear 35a meshing with the gear 34a rotates in the −θ direction.

  The driving shaft of the clutch 40a is fixed to the gear 34a. When the driving shaft side and the driven shaft side of the clutch 40a are connected, the gear 37a fixed to the driven shaft moves in the + θ direction in accordance with the rotation of the gear 34a. Rotate. At this time, the clutch 39a is separated. Along with the rotation of the gear 37a, the gear 36a fixed to the rotating shaft 15A of the rotating body 15 rotates in the + θ direction through the rotation of the small-diameter gear 38a. As the gear 36a rotates, the rotating body 15 rotates in the + θ direction. That is, when the clutch 40a is connected, the rotating body 15 rotates in the + θ direction. On the other hand, when the connection between the driving shaft side and the driven shaft side of the clutch 40a is released (that is, separated), the rotational force of the gear 34a is not transmitted to the gear 37a.

  Similarly, the driving shaft of the clutch 39a is fixed to the gear 35a. When the driving shaft side and the driven shaft side of the clutch 39a are connected, the gear 36a fixed to the driven shaft is accompanied by the rotation of the gear 35a. Rotates in the -θ direction. At this time, the clutch 40a is separated. Along with the rotation of the gear 35a, the gear 36a fixed to the rotating shaft 15A of the rotating body 15 rotates in the −θ direction. As the gear 36a rotates, the rotating body 15 rotates in the -θ direction. That is, when the clutch 39a is connected, the rotating body 15 rotates in the −θ direction. On the other hand, when the connection between the driving shaft side and the driven shaft side of the clutch 39a is released (that is, separated), the rotational force of the gear 35a is not transmitted to the gear 37a.

  Thus, when only the clutch 39a is connected among the clutches 39a and 40a, the gear 36a rotates in the same direction as 35a, and therefore the rotating body 15 rotates in the a direction (−θ direction). That is, the clutch 39a constitutes a clutch for rotating the rotating body 15 in the direction a. As the rotating body 15 rotates in the direction a, the wire 12a is pulled, and the bending portion 10 bends in the upward direction U as the wire 12a moves. On the other hand, when the connection of the clutch 39a is released and only the clutch 40a is connected, the rotating body 15 rotates in the b direction (+ θ direction). That is, the clutch 40a constitutes a clutch for rotating the rotating body 15 in the b direction. As the rotating body 15 rotates in the b direction, the wire 12b is pulled, and the bending portion 10 bends in the downward direction D as the wire 12b moves.

  As described above, the transmission mechanism 17 can rotate the rotating body 15 in each of the a direction and the b direction, and can switch the rotation direction of the rotating body 15 by connecting and separating the clutches 39a and 40a. it can. Then, in order for the transmission mechanism 17 to rotate the rotating body 15 in either the a direction or the b direction, the driving force generated by the motor 18 is generated via the clutch 39a or the clutch 40a. By transmitting to the bending portion 10, the bending portion 10 can be bent in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the rotating body 15.

  Similarly, the transmission mechanism 17 can rotate the rotating body 16 in both the c direction and the d direction in FIG. 2 and can switch the rotation direction of the rotating body 16 by connecting / separating the clutches 39b and 40b. It has become. That is, when the clutch 39b is connected, the rotating body 16 (rotating shaft 16A) rotates in the c direction, and as the rotating body 16 rotates in the c direction, the wire 13a is pulled, and the bending portion 10 moves in the right direction R. To curve. On the other hand, when the clutch 40b is connected, the rotating body 16 rotates in the d direction, and the wire 13b is pulled with the rotation of the rotating body 16 in the d direction, and the bending portion 10 bends in the left direction L.

  Further, the transmission mechanism 17 can connect / separate each of the four clutches 39a, 39b, 40a, 40b independently of each other under the control of the main body device 5, and can rotate the rotating bodies 15, 16 simultaneously. is there. For example, when the clutch 39a and the clutch 39b are connected at the same time and the rotating body 15 is rotating in the a direction, the rotating portion 16 is rotated in the c direction, whereby the bending portion 10 can be bent in the upper right direction. it can. Alternatively, when the clutch 39a and the clutch 40b are simultaneously connected and the rotating body 15 is rotating in the a direction, the bending portion 10 can be bent in the upper left direction by rotating the rotating body 16 in the d direction. .

  Further, a brake 41 (41a, 41b) for restricting the rotation of the rotating bodies 15, 16 is provided between the respective clutches 39a, 39b and the rotating bodies 15, 16, specifically, the rotating shafts 15A, 16A. It has been. The brakes 41 a and 41 b are configured by electromagnetic brakes, and are driven by electric power supplied from the main body device 5, and the driving thereof is controlled by the main body device 5. When it is desired to bend the bending portion 10 to the target bending angle and maintain the bending state, the rotation state of the rotating bodies 15 and 16 is restricted (locked) by the electromagnetic brakes 41a and 41b, so that the bending state (the bending angle) of the bending portion 10 is increased. ) Can be held. Further, when only one of the rotating bodies 15 and 16 is to be rotated from a certain curved state, the rotation of the other rotating body that is not desired to be rotated can be restricted (locked) by an electromagnetic brake. it can. In this way, the bending state of the bending portion 10 can be maintained by the brake, and the bending angle can be finely adjusted by instantaneously switching between the brake and the clutch electrically.

  In the present embodiment, a potentiometer 42 (for detecting the rotation angle of the rotary bodies 15 and 16 is provided between the clutches 39a and 39b and the rotary bodies 15 and 16, specifically, the rotary shafts 15A and 16A. 42a, 42b). The absolute rotation angles of the rotating bodies 15 and 16 can be detected by the potentiometers 42a and 42b. The detection results of the potentiometers 42a and 42b are output to the main unit 5. Since the bending angle of the bending portion 10 is defined based on the rotation angles of the rotating bodies 15 and 16, the main body device 5 can grasp the bending state of the bending portion 10 based on the detection results of the potentiometers 42a and 42b. it can. Moreover, the main body device 5 controls the rotation angle of the rotating bodies 15 and 16 based on the detection results of the potentiometers 42a and 42b, thereby forcibly centering the bending angle of the bending portion 10, or bending more than necessary. It is possible to set a bending angle limit so as not to make it happen, or to set the bending angle by numerical input.

  As described above, the bending portion 10 can be bent in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and further in the inclined direction (upper right direction, upper left direction, etc.) by the single motor 18 and the motor 18 rotating in only one direction. it can. In addition, the drive device 3 including the transmission mechanism 17 can be made compact, and a configuration in which the small drive device 3 is provided on the proximal end side of the insertion portion 2 can be employed. In addition, since it is possible to suppress deterioration in workability associated with an increase in the size and weight of the apparatus, the operator can perform work using the endoscope apparatus 1 satisfactorily for a long time. Moreover, the effect which can reduce a noise can also be acquired because the motor 18 was made into 1 unit | set.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rotation control of the rotating bodies 15 and 16 is performed electrically, and the control is performed independently for each of the rotating bodies 15 and 16, so the bending portion 10 is desired. Therefore, the workability when inserting the bending portion 10 (insertion portion 2) into the subject can be remarkably improved. Further, since the main body device 5 and the driving device 3 are separated, the wire is not unnecessarily lengthened and a desired bending angle can be obtained. In addition, since the bending state of the bending portion 10 is controlled electrically, it is possible to suppress inconveniences such as the operator's concern about the force of pressing the operation switch 8 of the operation portion 6 and the difficulty of adjusting the minute angle. High operability can be obtained.

  Furthermore, since the transmission mechanism 17 includes a clutch and a brake, when the bending portion 10 is held in the bent state, the bent state can be maintained without continuously supplying power to the motor 18. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced. Further, when an abnormal situation occurs while the insertion section 2 is being inserted into the subject, it may be necessary to release the bending state of the bending section 10. By simply releasing the lock, the bending portion 10 can be brought into a free state, and it is not necessary to perform control such as returning the bending with the reserve power that has been performed by the conventional electric bending motor operation. There is no need to install a capacitor in the circuit.

<Second Embodiment>
4 is a view of the driving device 3 according to the second embodiment as viewed from above, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of FIG. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted. 4 and 5, the motor 18 has a small diameter, and a bevel gear is used as the gear. By adopting such a configuration, the drive device 3 (transmission mechanism 17) can be configured to the extent that the outer diameter of the insertion portion 2 is equal to or slightly thicker. Since the driving device 3 and the proximal end of the insertion portion 2 can be brought close to each other, the wire can be shortened, and sliding resistance and loosening of the wire can be minimized, so that the driving force of the motor 18 is small. That's it. In addition, by reducing the size of the motor 18 or omitting the reduction gear, the entire drive device 3 (transmission mechanism 17) can be made compact.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows a drive device and a transmission mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the connection state of each clutch, the rotation direction of a rotary body, and the bending direction of a bending part. It is the figure which looked at the drive device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention from the upper part. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus, 2 ... Insertion part, 3 ... Drive apparatus, 5 ... Main body apparatus (control system), 10 ... Bending part, 11 ... Tip part, 12 (12a, 12b) ... Wire (linear member), 13 (13a, 13b) ... wire (linear member), 15 ... rotating body, 16 ... rotating body, 17 ... transmission mechanism, 18 ... motor (drive source), 31-38 (31a-38a) ... gear, 39 ( 39a, 39b), 40 (40a, 40b) ... clutch (switching mechanism), 41 (41a, 41b) ... brake, 42 (42a, 42b) ... potentiometer (detection device)

Claims (5)

In an endoscope apparatus provided with a bending portion on the distal end side of the insertion portion,
A linear member having a part connected to the curved part and the other part connected to the rotating body;
A transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force generated from a drive source to the rotating body, drives the linear member by rotating the rotating body, and curves the bending portion;
The transmission mechanism, together with the rotating body is rotatable in both the first and second directions, the endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising a possible switching mechanism switches the rotational direction of the rotating body. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the bending portion is bent in a direction corresponding to a rotation direction of the rotating body. A plurality of the linear members and the rotating bodies corresponding to the linear members are provided according to a target bending direction of the bending portion,
The transmission mechanism, the endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for distributing the driving force generated from the driving source to each of the plurality of rotating bodies. The curved portion so as to be bent in each of the vertical and horizontal directions, to claim 3, wherein the rotating body that corresponds to the linear member and the linear member, characterized in that provided at least two pairs The endoscope apparatus described. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the transmission mechanism is capable of rotating each of the plurality of rotating bodies substantially simultaneously.

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