Patent ID: 8758233

Claim:
An endoscope comprising: an insertion section which includes a bending section configured to perform a bending motion, and which extends in longitudinal directions; an operation section body provided to a proximal direction side of the insertion section; various types of bending operation input units, each of which includes a bending operation input section configured to input a bending operation to bend the bending section, and one of which is removably attached to the operation section body selectively; activated portions each of which is provided in corresponding one of the bending operation input units, and each of which is configured to change its activated state in response to an input state of the bending operation by the bending operation input section provided in the corresponding one of the bending operation input units; an activated state detector which is provided in the operation section body, and which is configured to detect the activated state of the activated portion of attached one of the bending operation input units in a state that the attached one of the bending operation input units is attached to the operation section body, the activated state detector being electrically insulated from the activated portion of the attached one of the bending operation input units; control method input sections each of which is provided in corresponding one of the bending operation input units, and each of which is configured to input a type of the corresponding one of the bending operation input units in a state that the corresponding one of the bending operation input units is attached to the operation section body, wherein the control method input sections and the operation section body are separable; a control method detector which is provided in the operation section body, and which is configured to detect a type of the attached one of the bending operation input units in the state that the attached one of the bending operation input units is attached to the operation section body, the control method detector being electrically insulated from the control method input section of the attached one of the bending operation input units, and the control method detector being configured to select a bending control parameter, by which a relationship between an input value of the bending operation and a bending amount of the bending section is determined, in accordance with the type of the attached one of the bending operation input units and thereby configured to detect a control method of the bending operation corresponding to the selected bending control parameter; and a drive source which is provided in the operation section body, and which is configured to be driven in accordance with the control method detected by the control method detector and the activated state detected by the activated state detector, the drive source being configured to be driven by an electric power to cause a driving force of bending the bending section.