FLEXIBLE CONTROLLABLE TUBE FOR ENDOSCOPE Russian patent published in 1995 - IPC

FIELD: optical instrument making. SUBSTANCE: flexible controllable tube for endoscope has a row of mutually connected by control wires cup-shaped annular members, arranged with possibility of overlapping of an outer surface of a previous member by an inner surface of a subsequent member. Annular grooves are provided on the outer surface of the annular member for mounting a base of the subsequent member. The control wires are in the form of a belt with a trough like cross section, mounted in parallel with a lengthwise axis of the tube and turned by its convex surface to outside. The annular grooves are made in a mean portion of the outer surface of the annular members. The outer edges of the belt are rolled-in to an inner diameter. EFFECT: enhanced quality of flexible controllable tube for endoscope due to provision of its longitudinal rigidity and due to elimination of a residual torque according to the above mentioned structure of the tube. 3 cl, 6 dwg