FLEXIBLE PORTION STRUCTURE OF ENDOSCOPE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible portion structure of an endoscope for absorbing a twist of an LG soft part by constituting a part covered with a bending preventive cover member out of a protecting tube among the whole LG flexible portion. SOLUTION: In an endoscope, an inside LG flexible portion 16 of a cover member 40 is formed of a protecting tube 44. The protecting tube 44 can smoothly absorb a twist caused on the operation part 12 side since the protecting tube has flexibility. The protecting tube 44 can prevent the occurrence of reaction when absorbing a twist since the protecting tube has a characteristic of holding a twisted shape. The protecting tube 44 also has a characteristic of being large in a radius of curvature, but can maintain flexibility of a conventional device since the protecting tube is formed inside the cover member 40 for preventing bending of the LG flexible portion 16.