阅读说明：本技术 内窥镜弯曲部和内窥镜 (endoscope bending section and endoscope ) 是由 安久井伸章 于 2018-04-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：内窥镜弯曲部7由多腔管形成,包括：2个管腔31、32,用于将沿第一方向U和与第一方向U相反的第二方向D进行弯曲操作的一对弯曲操作线27、28分别插通在所述2个管腔31、32中；和弯曲方向限制部件41、42,其设置在与第一轴UD正交的第二轴LR上,限制内窥镜弯曲部7在第二轴LR方向的弯曲,所述第一轴UD沿着第一方向U和第二方向D,且通过内窥镜弯曲部7的中心轴X。(The endoscope bending portion 7 is formed of a multi-lumen tube including: 2 lumens 31, 32 through which a pair of bending operation wires 27, 28 for performing a bending operation in a first direction U and a second direction D opposite to the first direction U are inserted, respectively, in the 2 lumens 31, 32; and bending direction regulating members 41 and 42 provided on a second axis LR orthogonal to a first axis UD passing through a central axis X of the endoscope bending portion 7 along the first direction U and the second direction D, and regulating bending of the endoscope bending portion 7 in the direction of the second axis LR.)

1. An endoscope bending portion formed of a multi-lumen tube provided with a plurality of holes penetrating in a longitudinal direction, characterized by comprising:

2 lumens for inserting a pair of bending operation wires, which perform a bending operation in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, into the 2 lumens, respectively; and

And a bending direction regulating member that is provided on a second axis orthogonal to a first axis that passes through a central axis of the endoscope bending portion along the first direction and the second direction, and that regulates bending of the endoscope bending portion in a direction of the second axis.

2. The endoscope bending section of claim 1, wherein:

The bending direction regulating member is provided on the second shaft passing through the center shaft.

3. The endoscope bending section of claim 1, wherein:

A plurality of the bending direction regulating members are provided,

The plurality of bending direction regulating members are provided side by side on the second shaft.

4. The endoscope bending section of claim 3, wherein:

The bending direction regulating members are provided at both end portions of the multi-lumen tube along the second axis.

5. the endoscope bending section of claim 3, wherein:

In a cross section of the endoscope bending portion perpendicular to the central axis, the bending direction regulating member is provided at a position point-symmetrical with respect to the central axis.

6. The endoscope bending section of claim 1, wherein:

the bending direction regulating member is a belt-like member having a length along the second axis longer than a length along the first axis.

7. The endoscope bending section of claim 1, wherein:

The lumen through which the bending manipulation wire is inserted is formed at a position different from the first axis.

8. An endoscope, characterized by:

The endoscope bending portion according to claim 1 is provided in the insertion portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an endoscope bending section and an endoscope using a multi-lumen tube at least in a bending section of an insertion section.

Background

In order to cope with various observation objects, an endoscope includes an insertion portion that is formed in an elongated tubular shape in accordance with the observation object and is insertable into a lumen. It is known that a bending portion for adjusting the observation field direction is provided at the insertion portion of the endoscope.

Such a bending portion of an endoscope is disclosed in, for example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 8-94941. In the bending portion of the endoscope of Japanese patent application laid-open No. 8-94941, a multi-lumen tube is used as a bending member in order to reduce the cost and diameter of the bending portion.

However, in the bending portion using the multi-lumen tube of the conventional endoscope, since the moving direction cannot be mechanically restricted by the multi-lumen tube itself, the insertion position of the bending operation wire is limited to a specific position.

In this way, when the position of the bending operation wire is limited to a specific position, there is a problem that the arrangement positions of various channels, illumination means, imaging units, and the like, which are other components provided in the multi-lumen tube, are limited. Therefore, there is a problem that layout in the cross-sectional direction is limited when various components are disposed in a bending portion for reducing the diameter of an insertion portion of an endoscope.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope bending portion capable of increasing the degree of freedom of layout in the cross-sectional direction in which various components are arranged and reducing the diameter of an insertion portion without providing an insertion position of a bending operation wire in a bending direction.

Disclosure of Invention

An endoscope bending portion according to an aspect of the present invention is an endoscope bending portion formed of a multi-lumen tube provided with a plurality of holes penetrating in a longitudinal direction, the endoscope bending portion including: 2 lumens for inserting a pair of bending operation wires for performing a bending operation in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction respectively in the 2 lumens; and a bending direction regulating member that is provided on a second axis orthogonal to a first axis, the first axis passing through a central axis of the endoscope bending portion along the first direction and the second direction, and that regulates bending of the endoscope bending portion in a direction of the second axis.

An endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention is an endoscope including an insertion portion provided with an endoscope bending portion formed of a multi-lumen tube provided with a plurality of holes penetrating in a longitudinal direction, the endoscope bending portion including: 2 lumens for inserting a pair of bending operation wires for performing a bending operation in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction respectively in the 2 lumens; and a bending direction regulating member that is provided on a second axis orthogonal to a first axis, the first axis passing through a central axis of the endoscope bending portion along the first direction and the second direction, and that regulates bending of the endoscope bending portion in a direction of the second axis.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a hard portion provided in the insertion portion.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view showing a hard portion provided in the insertion portion.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in the insertion portion.

Fig. 8 is a side view showing a state in which a bending portion of the insertion portion is bent in the vertical direction.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a first modification.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a second modification.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a third modification.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a fourth modification.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a fifth modification.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a sixth modification.

fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a hard portion provided at a bending portion of a seventh modification.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component have a size recognizable in the drawings, the scale may be different for each component, and the present invention is not limited to the number of components, the shapes of the components, the size ratios of the components, and the relative positional relationship between the components described in the drawings. In the following description, the upper and lower portions that constitute components in the vertical direction when viewed on the paper surface of the drawings are sometimes described.

First, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The following describes a schematic configuration of an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a distal end portion of an insertion portion, fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the distal end portion of the insertion portion, fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a hard portion provided in the insertion portion, fig. 5 is a V-V sectional view of fig. 4, fig. 6 is a partial sectional view showing the hard portion provided in the insertion portion, fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the hard portion provided in the insertion portion, and fig. 8 is a side view showing a state in which a bending portion of the insertion portion is bent in a vertical direction.

as shown in fig. 1, an endoscope 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention mainly includes an insertion portion 2, an operation portion 3, a universal cable 4, an endoscope connector 5, and the like.

The insertion portion 2 is formed in an elongated shape and insertable into a subject, and here, the entire insertion portion 2 is formed of a multi-lumen tube. The insertion portion 2 has a flexible structure as a whole, and has a distal end portion 6, a bending portion 7 as a bending portion of an endoscope, and a flexible tube portion 8 formed in this order from the distal end side.

The insertion portion 2 is formed of a multi-lumen tube that can be manufactured at low cost, and is disposable.

An imaging unit, which is an imaging device having an imaging element and the like provided therein, and an illumination optical system (both not shown) for irradiating illumination light forward are built in the distal end portion 6 of the insertion portion 2.

The form of the endoscope to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the above-described example (an electronic endoscope including an imaging unit and the like), and may be another form, for example, a so-called fiber optic endoscope including an image transmitting fiber in the insertion portion 2 without including an imaging unit.

The bending portion 7 can be actively bent in 2 directions, i.e., a first direction and a second direction, which is opposite thereto, when the bending operation lever 13 for performing a bending operation is rotated among the operation members of the operation portion 3, where the first direction and the second direction are UP and DOWN (UP and DOWN) directions. The UP-DOWN (UP and DOWN) directions here are the UP-DOWN directions of the endoscopic images captured by the imaging unit.

The flexible tube portion 8 is flexible and can be passively bent. In addition to a lumen for a treatment instrument insertion channel, a lumen for inserting various signal lines extending from an imaging unit built in the distal end portion 6 and extending to the inside of the universal cable 4 through the inside of the operation portion 3 and a lumen for inserting an optical guide (not shown) for guiding light emitted from a light source device (not shown) as an external device to an illumination window (not shown) provided on the distal end surface of the distal end portion 6 are formed in the flexible tube portion 8.

the light source may be a light emitting body (for example, a Light Emitting Diode (LED)) provided inside the operation unit. In the case of such a configuration, the light guide (not shown) is used to guide light emitted from the LED in the operation portion to the illumination window of the distal end portion 6.

As a method different from the above-described method, a light emitting body such as an LED may be provided inside the distal end portion 6, for example, at a position near the base end of the illumination window. In the case of such a configuration, the light emitted from the LED directly passes through the illumination window, and illuminates the front of the distal end portion 6.

That is, the above structure does not require a light guide (not shown) in the flexible tube 8. Instead, a power supply line or the like for emitting light from the LED provided at the distal end portion 6 is inserted through the lumen in the flexible tube portion 8.

The operation portion 3 is a unit having a plurality of operation members and the like, and is connected to the base end portion of the insertion portion 2. The operation unit 3 includes a bending prevention unit 9, a grip unit 10, a plurality of operation members (13, 14, etc.), a treatment instrument insertion unit 11, a suction valve 15, and the like.

The bending prevention portion 9 is a protection member provided at a connection portion between the distal end portion of the operation portion 3 and the proximal end portion of the flexible tube portion 8 and preventing the flexible tube portion 8 from being bent excessively and sharply when the endoscope 1 is used by covering the proximal end portion of the flexible tube portion 8.

The grip portion 10 is a box portion in which various components are housed. The grip portion 10 is connected to the bending prevention portion 9. The grip portion 10 is a portion to be gripped by a hand when the user uses the endoscope 1.

The plurality of operation members are provided on the outer surface of the grip portion 10, and are members for realizing various functions of the endoscope 1. The plurality of operation members include, for example, an operation member for performing air/water feeding operation and suction operation, an operation member 14 for performing operation corresponding to each of the image pickup unit and the illumination unit, and the like, in addition to the bending operation lever 13 for performing bending operation for bending the bending portion 7 in the vertical direction.

The treatment instrument insertion portion 11 has a treatment instrument insertion port (not shown) into which various treatment instruments (not shown) are inserted, and is a component portion having a treatment instrument insertion passage communicating with the treatment instrument insertion passage inside the operation portion 3.

A forceps plug 12 as a lid member for opening and closing the treatment instrument insertion port is disposed in the treatment instrument insertion port 11, and the forceps plug 12 is detachable (exchangeable) from the treatment instrument insertion port 11. The suction valve 15 is a connection portion for connecting a suction device, not shown, to a suction line.

The universal cable 4 is a hollow tubular member having flexibility and extending from the operation portion 3. The universal cable 4 is a composite cable in which various signal lines, which are inserted from the distal end portion 6 of the insertion portion 2 through the inside of the insertion portion 2 and then protrude through the inside of the operation portion 3, an optical guide (not shown) connected to a light source device (not shown) as an external device, an air/water supply pipe connected to an air/water supply device (not shown) as an external device, and the like are inserted.

The endoscope connector 5 is a connection member provided at the distal end of the universal cable 4 and used to connect to an external device. The endoscope connector 5 has an electric connector portion 16 on a side surface portion thereof for connecting a signal cable for connecting the endoscope connector 5 and a video processor (not shown) as an external device.

The endoscope connector 5 further includes a light source connector portion 17 and the like, and a light guide bundle for connecting the endoscope connector 5 to a light source device (not shown) as an external device and a cable (not shown) for collecting the various signal lines are connected to the light source connector portion 17.

Next, the configuration of the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 1, mainly the distal end portion, will be described in detail.

As shown in fig. 2, an annular distal end main tube 21 is fixed to the outside of the portion of the insertion portion 2 constituting the distal end portion 6.

An opening portion of the observation window 22, the illumination window 23, and the treatment instrument insertion channel 24, and 2 locking holes 25 and 26 are provided on the distal end surface of the distal end portion 6, and distal ends of bending operation wires to be described later for bending the bending portion 7 are respectively locked to the 2 locking holes 25 and 26. The bending portion 7 is continuous with the base end of the tip end portion 6, and the bending portion 7 and the flexible tube portion 8 are provided in this order from the base end side of the tip end portion 6.

In the present embodiment, the distal end portion 6, the bent portion 7, and the flexible tube portion 8 are formed of a multi-lumen tube integrally formed. The multi-lumen tube constituting the insertion portion 2 is formed, for example, by using a flexible material such as expanded porous PTFE (expanded PTFE) obtained by stretching PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), which is one type of fluororesin, or various biocompatible elastomers.

The flexible tube portion 8 may be configured such that a mesh tube is wrapped around the spiral tube, and further, the flexible tube is wrapped around the outer circumference of the mesh tube. A plurality of lumens including a treatment instrument insertion channel 24 and locking holes 25 and 26 are formed in the insertion portion 2 so as to penetrate the insertion portion 2, and the imaging unit, not shown, provided in the distal end portion 6, an imaging cable of the imaging unit, an illumination optical system, a light guide provided from the illumination optical system to a root end side, and a bending operation wire (described later) are inserted therethrough.

As shown in fig. 3, a pair of wire insertion lumens 31 and 32 are formed in the insertion portion 2 of the multi-lumen tube so as to penetrate the insertion portion 2 in the longitudinal direction, and 2 bending wires 27 and 28 for bending the bending portion 7 in the vertical direction are inserted through the pair of wire insertion lumens 31 and 32, respectively.

locking pieces 27a and 28a are provided at the distal ends of the bending operation wires 27 and 28, respectively. These locking pieces 27a, 28a are introduced into and locked in locking holes 25, 26 formed in the distal end surface portion of the distal end portion 6, and are adhesively fixed in the locking holes 25, 26.

That is, the locking holes 25 and 26 are formed in a tapered shape having an increased outer diameter toward the front end surface of the front end portion 6 so that the locking pieces 27a and 28a can be locked in the locking holes 25 and 26.

In the bending portion 7 of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, a plurality of (2 in this case) band-shaped hard portions 41, 42 as bending direction regulating means are provided side by side in a left-right direction (L-R) along a central axis X as a longitudinal axis, wherein the hard portions 41, 42 are resin members formed of a material having lower flexibility and harder hardness than a material of a multi-lumen tube constituting the insertion portion 2, and the left-right direction (L-R) is a direction along a third direction orthogonal to the up-down direction (U-D) and a fourth direction opposite thereto.

That is, the hard portions 41 and 42 are provided at both outer peripheral end portions of the bending portion 7, and the both outer peripheral end portions of the bending portion 7 are arranged along an axis (L-R) in the left-right direction passing through the central axis X of the bending portion 7, and are point-symmetric with respect to the central axis X in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis X of the bending portion 7.

The hard portions 41 and 42 may be integrally formed in the bent portion 7 by extrusion molding when the multi-lumen tube is manufactured, or the hard portions 41 and 42 may be attached by forming groove portions in the portion to be the bent portion 7 after the multi-lumen tube is molded, and then fixing by adhesion or the like.

In the bending portion 7, in addition to a lumen constituting the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 and a pair of operation wire insertion cavities 31 and 32 through which the bending operation wires 27 and 28 are inserted, which are formed so as to penetrate the bending portion 7 along the central axis X, a cable insertion cavity 34 through which an imaging cable 33 of an imaging unit, not shown, is inserted and a light guide insertion cavity 36 through which a light guide 35 is inserted are formed so as to penetrate the bending portion 7 along the central axis X.

As shown in fig. 6, the hard portions 41 and 42 are formed in a strip shape having a rectangular cross section and a height H smaller than a width W. The hard portions 41 and 42 are arranged side by side so that the width W direction thereof is along the axis (L-R) in the left-right direction.

As shown in fig. 7, the 2 band-shaped hard portions 41 and 42 as the bending direction regulating members of the bending portion 7 configured as described above generate large resistance when bending in the left-right direction (L1-R1, L2-R2), so that bending in the left-right direction (L-R) is regulated, and bending in the up-down direction (U-D) is facilitated.

That is, since the width W of the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 in the left-right direction (L1-R1, L2-R2) is larger than the height H in the up-down direction (U1-D1, U2-D2), the bending in the left-right direction (L1-R1, L2-R2) is restricted, and the bending in the up-down direction (U1-D1, U2-D2) is facilitated.

The bending portion 7 can be easily bent in the vertical direction (U-D) by making the width W direction of the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 along the horizontal direction (L-R) of the bending portion 7 and by providing the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 on the horizontal axis (L-R) passing through the central axis X and dividing the bending portion 7 into the vertical 2 portions.

By adopting the above-described configuration, even if the 2 bending operation wires 27 and 28 for bending the bending portion 7 in the up-down direction (U-D) are not inserted so that the centers O1 and O2 of the 2 bending operation wires 27 and 28 are on the axis along the up-down direction (U-D) of the bending portion 7, the bending portion 7 can be bent in the up-down direction as shown in fig. 8.

That is, even if the wire insertion lumens 31 and 32 are formed so that the centers O1 and O2 of the 2 bending operation wires 27 and 28 are positioned at the predetermined angles θ 1 and θ 2 around the central axis X from the axis (U-D) along the vertical direction of the bending portion 7, the bending portion 7 can be bent in the vertical direction (U-D).

In the present embodiment, one bending operation wire 27 is inserted above the axis (L-R) of the bending portion 7 in the left-right direction, and the other bending operation wire 28 is inserted below the axis (L-R) of the bending portion 7 in the left-right direction. The wire insertion cavities 31, 32 are preferably formed so that 2 bending wires 27, 28 are inserted in the vicinity of the vertical axis (U-D).

As described above, the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment can be configured such that the bending portion 7 of the insertion portion 2 is formed of a multi-lumen tube, 2 bending operation wires 27, 28 are used to perform a bending operation for bending the bending portion 7 in the up-down direction, and the operation wire insertion tube cavities 31, 32 are through which the 2 bending operation wires 27, 28 are inserted, and even if the formation portions of the operation wire insertion tube cavities 31, 32 are respectively located at positions offset from the up-down axis in which the bending portion is bent, the bending operation for bending the bending portion 7 in the up-down direction can be performed, and the degree of freedom in the cross-sectional layout of various kinds of built-in components inserted into the insertion portion 2 can be increased, and the diameter of the insertion portion 2 can be made smaller. Further, the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, which has a small diameter by using the insertion portion 2, is an effective configuration particularly for a urinary endoscope.

(first modification)

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a first modification.

As shown in fig. 9, the 2 band-shaped hard portions 41 and 42 as the bending direction regulating member may have a longer width W, so that a larger resistance is generated when the bending portion 7 is bent in the left-right direction (L-R), and the bending portion can be more easily bent in the up-down direction (U-D).

(second modification)

Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a second modification.

As shown in fig. 10, a band-shaped hard portion 43 as a bending direction regulating member may be provided along the axis (L-R) in the left-right direction of the bending portion 7 so as to divide the bending portion 7 into upper and lower (U-D)2 portions.

(third modification)

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided in a bent portion of a third modification.

As shown in fig. 11, the 2 band-shaped hard portions 41 and 42 serving as the bending direction regulating member may be not rectangular but square in cross section, and the bending portion 7 can be easily bent in the vertical direction (U-D) by arranging the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 in parallel along the axis (L-R) of the bending portion 7 in the horizontal direction.

That is, when the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 are arranged as shown in fig. 11, the amount of deformation of the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 required when the bending portion is bent in the left-right direction (L-R) is larger than when the bending portion is bent in the up-down direction (U-D), and therefore the resistance when the bending portion is bent in the left-right direction (L-R) is larger than the resistance when the bending portion is bent in the up-down direction (U-D). That is, the bending portion 7 is easily bent in the vertical direction (U-D).

(fourth modification)

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a fourth modification.

As shown in fig. 12, the 2 band-shaped hard portions 41 and 42 as the bending direction regulating members may be provided in the bending portion 7 instead of being provided at both end portions of the outer periphery of the bending portion 7.

Here, 2 hard portions 41 and 42 having a square cross section are exemplified, but it is needless to say that 2 hard portions 41 and 42 having a rectangular cross section may be used.

(fifth modification)

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a fifth modification.

As shown in fig. 13, a plurality of hard portions 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c in the form of a band as the bending direction regulating member may be provided in the bending portion 7 instead of being provided at both end portions of the outer periphery of the bending portion 7, and a total of 6 hard portions may be provided.

Here, 6 hard portions 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c having a square cross section are exemplified, but 6 hard portions 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c having a rectangular cross section may be used.

(sixth modification)

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a hard portion provided at a bent portion of a sixth modification.

the rigid portions 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c as the bending direction regulating members may not have a rectangular shape such as a rectangular shape or a rectangular shape in cross section, but may have a circular cross section, for example, as shown in fig. 14, and be arranged along the axis (L-R) in the left-right direction of the bending portion 7 so that the resistance when bending in the left-right direction (L-R) is larger than the resistance in the up-down direction (U-D), and the bending portion 7 is easily bent in the up-down direction (U-D).

(seventh modification)

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a hard portion provided at a bending portion of a seventh modification.

As shown in fig. 15, the 2 hard portions 41 and 42 as the bending direction regulating members may be formed with a plurality of groove portions 45 and 46 on the upper and lower surfaces in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction so as to be more easily bent in the vertical direction (U-D), and the bending portion 7 may be more easily bent in the vertical direction (U-D). The grooves 45 and 46 are V-shaped grooves as an example, but may be U-shaped grooves, for example.

In the above-described embodiment and the modifications, the configuration in which the hard portions 41 and 42(43, 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c) as the bending direction regulating members are provided only in the bending portion 7 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bending direction regulating members may be provided in the entire insertion portion 2.

Further, the rigid portions 41 and 42(43, 41a, 41b, 41c, 42a, 42b, and 42c) as the bending direction regulating members are preferably provided on the axis (L-R) in the left-right direction passing through the central axis X of the bending portion 7, but if provided on the axis orthogonal to the axis (U-D) in the up-down direction of the bending portion 7, the bending of the bending portion 7 in the left-right direction (L-R) can be regulated, and the bending portion 7 can be easily bent in the up-down direction (U-D).

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Further, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be obtained by appropriately combining a plurality of described constituent elements.

for example, even if some of the constituent elements shown in the above-described one embodiment are deleted, if the technical problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effect of the invention can be obtained, the structure from which the constituent elements are deleted can be regarded as the invention. Further, the constituent elements related to the different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The invention is defined by the claims and not by the specific embodiments.

The present invention can realize an endoscope bending section and an endoscope which do not require the insertion position of a bending operation wire to be provided in the bending direction, improve the degree of freedom of layout in the cross section where various components are arranged, and can make the diameter of an insertion section smaller.

The application claims the priority of Japanese patent application No. 2017-081352 submitted in Japanese at 17.4.2017, and the description of Japanese patent application No. 2017-081352 is cited in the specification and the claims of the application.