Endoscope
There is provided an endoscope capable of suppressing the degradation of a distal-end-part body over time that is caused by the sandwiching of a treatment tool. An endoscope includes a distal-end-part body that is provided at a distal end of an insertion unit. The distal-end-part body includes an elevator-housing space-forming wall that forms an elevator-housing space opened in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the insertion unit, a lead-out portion that includes a treatment tool outlet opened into the elevator-housing space, and an elevator that is provided in the elevator-housing space so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft between a standing position and a fallen position and includes a guide surface guiding a treatment tool. The elevator-housing space-forming wall includes an opening wall portion provided on an opening side of the elevator-housing space. An opposite wall portion, which is opposite to the guide surface in a case where the elevator is in the standing position, of the opening wall portion is made of a material harder than that of all other wall portions other than the opposite wall portion.
1. An endoscope comprising:
a distal-end-part body that is provided at a distal end of an insertion unit extending in a direction of a longitudinal axis,
wherein the distal-end-part body includes
an elevator-housing space-forming wall that forms an elevator-housing space opened in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal axis,
a lead-out portion that forms a distal end of a treatment tool-insertion channel inserted into and disposed in the insertion unit and includes a treatment tool outlet opened into the elevator-housing space, and
an elevator that is provided in the elevator-housing space so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft between a standing position and a fallen position and includes a guide surface guiding a treatment tool led out of the treatment tool outlet,
the elevator-housing space-forming wall includes an opening wall portion provided on an opening side of the elevator-housing space, and
an opposite wall portion, which is opposite to the guide surface in a case where the elevator is in the standing position, of the opening wall portion is made of a material harder than that of all other wall portions other than the opposite wall portion.
2. The endoscope according to claim 1 ,
wherein a material of the opposite wall portion is metal.
3. The endoscope according to claim 2 ,
wherein a material of the other wall portions is a resin.
4. The endoscope according to claim 1 ,
wherein a material of the opposite wall portion is ceramic.
5. The endoscope according to claim 1 ,
wherein the opposite wall portion is made of the same material as an outlet-forming wall, which forms the treatment tool outlet, and is formed integrally with the outlet-forming wall.
6. The endoscope according to claim 1 ,
wherein the opposite wall portion includes a contact surface that is to be in contact with a treatment tool led out of the treatment tool outlet in a case where the elevator is in the standing position.
7. The endoscope according to claim 6 ,
wherein the opposite wall portion includes a convex portion that has a convex shape and protrudes toward a distal end side in the direction of the longitudinal axis, and
the contact surface is formed of a surface including an apex of the convex portion.
8. The endoscope according to claim 7 ,
wherein the guide surface has a concave shape, and
the convex shape of the convex portion corresponds to the concave shape of the guide surface.
9. The endoscope according to claim 8 ,
wherein a gap between the guide surface and the convex portion is 0.5 mm or less in a state where the elevator is in the standing position.
10. The endoscope according to claim 1 ,
wherein the distal-end-part body includes an ultrasound transducer including an ultrasound vibrator, and
the elevator is disposed closer to a proximal end side in the direction of the longitudinal axis than the ultrasound transducer.