Endoscope

摘要

An endoscope comprising, in a part of an insertion portion having flexibility, a bending portion formed by covering an outermost circumference with a covering rubber. Respective end portions of the covering rubber being tightly bound to a rigid portion near the bending portion with a thread and fixed by applying an adhesive. In at least one end portion of both fixed end portions of the covering rubber, hardness of at least a portion in a range from an end portion in a center portion side of a portion tightly bound with the thread to an end portion in a center portion side of a portion to which the adhesive is applied is set higher than hardness in a center portion of the covering rubber.

主权项

1. An endoscope comprising:
a bending portion provided in a part of an insertion portion having flexibility, wherein the bending portion comprises a plurality of joint rings; a covering rubber configured to cover an outer circumference of the joint rings of the bending portion and having a distal end and a proximal end,
wherein the covering rubber is formed integrally by laminating a first thermoplastic elastomer and a second thermoplastic elastomer having different rubber hardness degrees,wherein each of the first thermoplastic elastomer and the second thermoplastic elastomer extend from the proximal end to the distal end of the covering rubber with a thickness of each of the first thermoplastic elastomer and the second thermoplastic elastomer changing along a longitudinal direction of the covering rubber such that rubber hardness degrees of a proximal end portion and a distal end portion of the covering rubber are greater than rubber hardness degrees of a center portion of the covering rubber, andwherein the covering rubber maintains a constant thickness from the proximal end to the distal end of the covering rubber; first and second tightly bound portions provided by tightly binding threads along outer circumferences of the distal end portion and the proximal end portion, respectively, of the covering rubber so as to fix the distal end portion and the proximal end portion to a first rigid portion and a second rigid portion, respectively, which are adjacent to the bending portion; and first and second bonded portions provided on outer circumferences of the first and second tightly bound portions, respectively, by applying adhesives from the first and second tightly bound portions so as to reach the distal end portion and the proximal end portion.