Karl Storz Se Co. & Kg

Karl Storz-Gmbh & Co. Kg

Harald Baumann

Peter Schwarz

Christin Baumann

Benjamin Häsler

Marcel Hofstetter

Klaus M Irion

Elmar Teichtmann

Werner Goebel

Bernhard Gloeggler

Werner Göbel

Klaus Bruederle

Marco Zeller

Bernhard Glöggler

Jan Rueppell

Joachim Reinacher

Hans-Georg Mathe

Klaus Brüderle

Jan Rüppell

The invention concerns an optical system, and a video endoscope therefor, with at least one electronic active pixel image sensor with a progressive offset micro-lens array, and a lens system with a plurality of lenses in order to receive image light from an object field and direct it to the image sensor. The optical system has at least one interference filter coating located within the optical system, such that the angle of incidence of the image light on the filter coating is minimized, minimizing thereby the filtration characteristics of the coating that are angularly dependent. This minimization improves the reliability of fluorescence imaging with short optical systems. The location for the filter coating may be on a curved surface, such as a lens, or on a properly positioned flat element within the optical system.

Optical system for a video endoscope and video endoscope

An optical filter system and a video endoscope therefor are disclosed. The optical filter system is arranged in a distal end section of a shaft. At least one image sensor for receiving image light is positioned in the distal end section. The optical filter system contains an optical filter and an objective lens system with a three or more lenses to collect image light and to pass it to the image sensor. The filter has transmission characteristics that vary relative to the radial distance from its center and is located between the first lens and the second lens of the objective lens system. Used in conjunction with fluorescence imaging, emission radiation collected by the image sensor is substantially free of excitation radiation. Additionally, a display system clearly delineating the regions with reliable fluorescence and/or visible light is also disclosed.

Optical filter system for a video endoscope, display system and video endoscope

A lens system () for a video endoscope comprises, in order from an object side, a cover glass (), a first lens (), a second lens () and one or more further lenses, wherein all lenses are single lenses. An aperture stop () is arranged at the object side of the first or the second lens (), all lenses on an image side of the aperture stop () are aspherical, all lenses are made of glass or of a crystalline material, and at least one lens has a refractive index n approximately equal to or exceeding 1.66. The invention also relates to an endoscope objective, to a video endoscope, and to a method for assembling an endoscope objective.

Lens system for a video endoscope, endoscope objective, video endoscope, and assembly method

An observation device and method its operation is disclosed. The device includes an instrument with a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; objective optics disposed at the shaft and having a field of view; an imaging sensor arranged to capture image data, the imaging sensor having a sensor array of evenly distributed elements; and an image processing unit. The objective optics is arranged to capture a scene in the field of view on the imaging sensor. The objective optics define at least a central imaging region and a peripheral imaging region, where the differing focal lengths of the objective optics result in the central imaging region having a higher digital resolution than that of the peripheral region, resulting in more pixels dedicated to the region of interest, while the peripheral regions have adequate resolution to monitor the introduction of surgical tools and other valuable information.

Observation device and method of operating an observation device

Improved fluorescent imaging and other sensor data imaging processes, including hyperspectral imaging, devices, and systems are provided to enhance endoscopes with multiple wavelength capabilities and providing sequential imaging and display. A first optical device is provided for endoscopy imaging in a white light and a fluoresced light mode with an imaging unit including one or more image sensors. A mechanism in the first optical device to automatically adjust the focus of the first optical device using one or more deformable, variable-focus lenses, wherein the automatic focus adjustment compensates for a chromatic focal difference between the light collected at distinct wavelength bands caused by the dispersive or diffractive properties of the optical materials or optical design employed in the construction of the first or second optical devices, or both. Further variable spectrum imaging is enhanced with the use of adjustable spectral filters.

Method and apparatus to generate hyperspectral image data with a medical imaging device

An observation instrument has a shaft and an imaging unit, the imaging unit comprising an objective lens system and an electronic image sensor arranged for picking up an image generated by the objective lens system, the imaging unit being pivotably arranged in a distal end section of the shaft, a pivot axis of the imaging unit being transverse to a longitudinal axis of the distal end section of the shaft, wherein the image sensor is arranged substantially parallel to an optical axis of the objective lens system and the imaging unit comprises a deflection element for deflecting light exiting from an image end of the objective lens system to an image pick-up surface of the image sensor. The invention also relates to a video imager arrangement for an observation instrument.

Observation instrument and video imager arrangement therefor

Medical imaging device with multiple imaging modes

Observation instrument and a video imager arrangement therefor

A system for controlling a medical device, the system comprising: a first channel and a second channel, an interface for receiving display data and control data and sending data into the first and second channels, the first channel comprising an imaging device adapted to display the display data and the control data, an image sensor adapted to detect at least an image part of the image, and an extraction device adapted to extract verification data from the image data, the second channel having a control device adapted to receive inputs from a user for and to output the control data and a control command, and a comparison device adapted to compare the test data from the extraction device and the control data from the control device.

System for controlling a medical device

A swing prism endoscope with adjustable viewing direction includes a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end and a window of a transparent material that seals an opening on the distal end of the shaft so that it is fluid-tight. In addition the swing prism endoscope includes a pivotable prism on the distal end of the shaft for adjustable diversion of light that falls through the window into the shaft of the swing prism endoscope onto an object lens, where the pivotable prism is made of diamond.

Swing prism endoscope

An endoscope, exoscope or microscope, including an optical fiber bundle for transmitting light from the proximal end to the distal end, the optical fiber bundle showing a contiguous bundle at the proximal end and a plurality of partial bundles or else individual fibers at the distal end. Furthermore, it shows a light source for coupling light into the one proximal end of the optical fiber bundle and including a multiplicity of individually actuatable individual-light sources arranged in an array-like manner, and a control unit for actuating the individual-light sources using an assignment function which represents the assignment of a proximal fiber end to a partial bundle. Here, the proximal ends of the fibers which are assigned to one partial bundle are arranged on a surface in such a way that proximal ends of fibers assigned to a different partial bundle are arranged therebetween.

Endoscope, exoscope or microscope and a method for illuminating a manipulation region of an endoscope, exoscope or microscope

A beam combining device for combining light from a first light source and light from a second light source of a light-source device for a medical apparatus includes a body made of a transparent material, a face which reflects in at least either a dichroic or polarization-dependent manner and is situated in or on the body, which face is transparent to light having a first spectrum or a first polarization and reflects light having a second spectrum or a second polarization, and a light-entrance face on the body, which light-entrance face is provided and arranged so that light enters the beam combining device through the light-entrance face. At least either the light-entrance face or the face reflecting in a dichroic or polarization-dependent manner is curved.

Beam combining device for a light-source device

A medical instrument includes a housing with an aperture, a window component that comprises a transparent material and closes off the aperture, and a thin-walled area that surrounds the aperture.

Medical instrument with a window

An observation instrument has a hollow shaft in whose distal end region there is arranged an optoelectronic imaging system which has on the image entrance side a distal deflection prism whose deflection faces lead an image into an optical lens system which images the image onto the image plane of an image sensor arranged proximally from the lens system, the image sensor having an active region which is situated asymmetrically relative to the outer contour of the image sensor. A first plane, which is defined by the main beam and a first orthogonal on the image plane of the image sensor, and a second plane, which is defined by the main beam and a second orthogonal on the deflection faces of the distal deflection prism, being rotated relative to one another about the main beam in such a way that it is possible to produce a sight cone which is symmetrical relative to a midplane of the hollow shaft and whose image area is situated fully in the active region of the image sensor.

Observation instrument with a symmetrical image field given use of asymmetric image sensors

An instrument includes a hollow body with an internal diameter and an optoelectronic image recording system, which is arranged in an end region of the body and has a lens system on an image entrance side. The lens system has a cylindrical section and an image sensor. An external diameter of the cylindrical section is less than the internal diameter of the body, such that an interspace remains between an inner side of the body and an outer side of the lens system, providing access in the body for components. With a viewing direction of 0&#xb0; to 90&#xb0; from the optical axis of the lens system, a deflection prism is arranged on the image entrance side at the lens system, and has a section extending laterally beyond the external diameter of the cylindrical section. An image entrance plane of the image sensor runs approximately parallel to the optical axis.

Growing community of inventors

Tuttlingen, Germany

Harald Baumann