Patent ID: 7771186

Claim:
An aging apparatus for a flexible tube of an endoscope comprising: a flexible tube holding mechanism for holding both ends of said flexible tube and linearly pulling said flexible tube; a roller group having at least a front roller, a middle roller, and a rear roller, said rollers being arranged in an axial direction of said flexible tube and axes of said rollers being approximately orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of said flexible tube, said front roller and said rear roller as both side rollers being opposed to said middle roller with sandwiching said flexible tube; a table for supporting said roller group; a table drive mechanism for moving said table in said axial direction of said flexible tube; a roller shift mechanism for pressing one of said middle roller and said both side rollers against said flexible tube so as to bend a part of said flexible tube while said rollers are in parallel with one another; and a control means for controlling the operation of said roller shift mechanism and said table drive mechanism to repeat aging operation, which moves said table in a state of pressing said middle roller or said both side rollers against said flexible tube, so that said flexible tube is bent more largely with increase in the number of said aging operation.