Patent ID: 8556734

Claim:
A flexible wire assembly which comprises: a flexible outer tube; a flexible inner wire rotatably extending in the flexible outer tube and having an input end of rotation and an output end of rotation opposite to each other; a plurality of rolling bearings for rotatably supporting the flexible inner wire; spring elements interposed between the neighboring rolling bearings for applying respective preloads to the rolling bearings; and a speed reducing mechanism drivingly connected with the rotation output end of the inner wire for reducing the speed of the rotation of the inner wire and outputting the rotation of the inner wire, wherein each of the rolling bearings has an inner ring and an outer ring and in which the spring elements includes an inner ring spring element in the form of a coiled compression spring for applying the preload to the inner ring and an outer ring spring element in the form of a coiled compression spring for applying the preload to the outer ring, the inner and outer ring spring elements being arranged alternately in a direction lengthwise of the inner wire.