Patent ID: 8313427

Claim:
A side-view endoscope comprising: an objective lens that observes a subject is provided in at least one part of an outer peripheral surface of a distal end portion on a distal end side in an insertion direction of an insertion portion; a distal end main body portion provided in the distal end portion of the insertion portion; a disposing hole having a first space that is formed in the distal end main body portion along the insertion direction and that opens as a first opening at a rear end in the insertion direction of the distal end main body portion, and a second space that opens as a second opening in the outer peripheral surface in which the objective lens is provided of the distal end portion and which intersects in a different direction to the insertion direction with the first space; and an image pickup unit that has the objective lens and is provided inside the disposing hole so that the objective lens faces the second opening, and that has a shape formed along a part of the first space and the second space, wherein the image pickup unit comprises: an objective lens group having the objective lens, that is disposed in the second space; and objective lens frame that retains the objective lens group; an image pickup device that picks up images of the subject and that is provided on a light emitting side of the objective lens group which is an opposite side to the second opening of the second space; a device frame that retains the image pickup device and is fitted on an outer circumference of an end portion of the objective lens frame on the light emitting side; and an image pickup unit retaining frame that is disposed in the second space and the first space and is fitted on an outer circumference of an end portion of the device frame on the light emitting side and that retains the device frame, wherein: at an intersecting region between the first space and the second space, the image pickup unit is fixed in the disposing hole by a fixing member that is inserted into the distal end main body portion through an insertion hole formed in the distal end main body portion, and the intersecting region is located on the light emitting side with respect to the image pickup unit; and the image pickup unit is fixed inside the disposing hole by a tip of the fixing member contacting against a contact site of the image pickup unit located in the second space from an end portion of the image pickup unit on the light emitting side and pushing up the contact site to the second opening side.