1. An endoscope comprising:
light emitting devices arranged in its distal end portion; and
at least one elongated heat-radiating member, one end of the member being arranged in the vicinity of the light emitting devices, the other end being arranged in a predetermined position adjacent to the proximal end of the insertion unit.
2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the heat-radiating member has a uniform cross section.
3. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the length of the heat-radiating member is set in consideration of the material and cross section thereof.
4. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein
the insertion unit is flexible and includes a bending portion, and
the heat-radiating member includes a bundle member formed by tying wires in a bundle, each wire having a diameter of 0.1 mm or smaller.
5. The endoscope according to claim 4, wherein
the bundle member extends from the vicinity of the light emitting devices in the direction toward the proximal end of the endoscope, and
the bundle member is divided into segments in at least the bending portion.
6. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein
the insertion unit is rigid, and
the heat-radiating member is a rod member.
7. The endoscope according to claim 4, wherein each wire is made of a material having a high thermal conductivity.
8. The endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the rod member is made of a material having a high thermal conductivity.
9. An endoscope specifically comprising:
a distal-end adapter including light emitting devices constituting an illumination optical system, a substrate for the light emitting devices, a support member for supporting the substrate, a first heat-conducting member through which heat generated by the light emitting devices is conducted, and an objective optical system constituting an observation optical system, the light emitting devices being arranged in one surface of the distal-end adapter, the substrate having a first electric connecting unit for the light emitting devices which is arranged in the other surface of the distal-end adapter; and
an insertion unit having a distal end portion from which the distal-end adapter is detachable, the distal end portion including an image pickup device constituting the observation optical system, a second electric connecting unit which is electrically connected to the first electric connecting unit in the substrate, a second heat-conducting member through which the heat transferred through the first heat-conducting member is further conducted, and a heat-radiating member for radiating the heat conducted through the second heat-conducting member from the distal end portion in the direction toward the proximal end of the endoscope.
10. The endoscope according to claim 9, wherein the objective optical system of the distal-end adapter is a direct view type.
11. The endoscope according to claim 9, wherein the objective optical system of the distal-end adapter is a side view type.
12. The endoscope according to claim 9, further comprising:
electric-connection guiding means, arranged at the distal-end adapter and the distal end portion of the insertion unit, for electrically connecting the first and second electric connecting units in a predetermined relation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for preparing an article of aluminum base metal alloyed with an alloying element, comprising the steps of
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound of the aluminum base metal;
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of an alloying element; thereafter
mixing the base-metal precursor compound and the alloying-element precursor compound to form a precursor compound mixture; thereafter
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture to a metallic alloy, without melting the metallic alloy; and thereafter
consolidating the metallic alloy to produce a consolidated metallic article, without melting the metallic alloy and without melting the consolidated metallic article.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound in a finely divided solid form, and
wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound in a finely divided solid form.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound in a gaseous form, and
wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound includes the step of
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound in a gaseous form.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound includes the step of
providing a chemically reducible base-metal precursor compound selected from the group consisting of a base-metal oxide and a base-metal halide.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound includes the step of
providing the alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element,
wherein the alloying element is thermophysically melt incompatible with the aluminum base metal.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing a chemically reducible alloying-element oxide.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of chemically reducing includes the step of
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture by solid-phase reduction.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of chemically reducing includes the step of
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture by fused salt electrolysis.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of chemically reducing includes the step of
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture by vapor-phase reduction.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of chemically reducing includes the step of
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture by contact with a liquid selected from the group consisting of a liquid alkali metal and a liquid alkaline earth metal.
11. A method for preparing an article made of aluminum base metal alloyed with an alloying element, comprising the steps of
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound of the aluminum base metal;
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of an alloying element that is thermophysically melt incompatible with the aluminum base metal; thereafter
mixing the base-metal precursor compound and the alloying-element precursor compound to form a precursor compound mixture; thereafter
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture to produce a metallic alloy, without melting the metallic alloy; and thereafter
consolidating the metallic alloy to produce a consolidated metallic article, without melting the metallic alloy and without melting the consolidated metallic article.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element exhibits a miscibility gap with an aluminum base metal in the liquid phase.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element forms a phase when melted with an aluminum base metal in the liquid phase having a higher melting point than the aluminum base metal.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element exhibits a eutectic, a eutectoid, a peritectic, or a peritectoid with the aluminum base metal.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element is nitrogen, oxygen, or phosphorus.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element has a vapor pressure of greater than about 10 times a vapor pressure of the aluminum base metal in a melt of the aluminum base metal, both measured at a melt temperature.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element has a melting point different from that of the aluminum base metal by more than about 200 C.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element has a density difference with the aluminum base metal of greater than about 0.5 gram per cubic centimeter.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element includes the step of
providing the chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of the alloying element, wherein the alloying element chemically reacts with the aluminum base metal by a liquid-phase reaction to form a chemical phase including the aluminum base metal and the alloying element.
20. The method of claim 11, including an additional step, after the step of mixing and before the step of chemically reducing, of
compacting the precursor compound mixture.
21. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of chemically reducing includes the step of
chemically reducing the precursor compound mixture to produce the metallic alloy in the form of a sponge.
22. The method of claim 11, including an additional step, prior to the step of mixing, of
providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element compatible precursor compound of an alloying element that is not thermophysically melt incompatible with the aluminum base metal, and
wherein the step of mixing includes the step of
mixing the base-metal precursor compound, the alloying-element precursor compound, and the alloying-element compatible precursor compound to form a precursor compound mixture.
23. The method of claim 11, including an additional step, after the step of providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound, of
introducing an other additive constituent.