Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Makoto Tomioka

Akira Hasegawa

Tetsuya Yamamoto

Yumi Ikeda

Shinya Matsumoto

Tadashi Hirata

Katsuichi Imaizumi

Takefumi Uesugi

Mamoru Kaneko

Nobuyuki Doguchi

Isami Hirao

Takeshi Ozawa

Hitoshi Ueno

Masahiro Kawauchi

Yasukazu Kogen

Sakae Takehana

Mitsujiro Konno

Takayuki Kato

Takahiro Inoue

Kazuo Morita

Yutaka Koshikawa

Sakae Takahana

Sayaka Koga

Susumu Aruga

There is provided a camera head for endoscope which enables to achieve a favorable fluorescent image in any wavelength band when the observation is switched over from a normal white-light image observation to an observation of fluorescent images of different wavelength bands. The camera head for endoscope includes a camera-head optical system which includes a spectral prism having a dichroic film which splits light from the endoscope into white light and fluorescent light, and a first image pickup element and a second image pickup element which are disposed in respective optical paths split into two by the spectral prism, and the first image pickup element is for the white-light image observation in which a white-light image is captured, and the second image pickup element is for a fluorescent-image observation in which two fluorescent images of different wavelengths are captured, and the first image pickup element is disposed at a position at which an image is formed in an optical path for the white-light image observation, and the second image pickup element is disposed at a position between two positions at which the two fluorescent images are formed in an optical path for the fluorescent-mage observation, and the camera head for endoscope satisfies the following conditional expression (1).&#x2264;9&#xd7;&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)

Camera head for endoscope and endoscope apparatus having the same

A TV observation system for an endoscope including an endoscope and a small-sized light source unit. The endoscope can be structurally separated into an insertion part and a proximal holding part continuously extending from the insertion part. The endoscope can include a light guide arranged from a distal end of the insertion part through the proximal holding part. The proximal holding part can be provided with a light guide joint section where an entrance end face of the light guide is fixed. The small-sized light source unit can be constructed and arranged to be removably connected with the light guide joint section. The small-sized light source unit can include a plurality of small-sized LEDs, a batter configured to power the plurality of LEDs, and a compounding optical system configured to compound light emitted by the plurality of small-sized LEDs.

TV observation system for endoscopes including a light source unit having LEDs

An imaging system for use with an endoscope, including a light source which emits white light and excitation light which will produce a fluorescence response by an object under inspection, an imaging camera including separate paths for processing images produced by white light and excitation light, a selection device that causes the imaging device to operate in a white light mode or an excitation light mode, and a protective device that prevents damage to high-sensitivity imaging components from exposure to excessive light input. Fluorescent image data are separated into at least red and green color bands which are separately processed to produced a video display in which normal tissue is displayed in predetermined specific color, and abnormal tissue in one or more distinctly different colors. In one embodiment, an image color interpretation guide is provided in the form of multiple color bars which are superimposed on a single video display device with the image display. of different kinds. In another embodiment, color control is provided by adjusting the amplification of the imaging components for each of the color bands while viewing tissue known to be normal using a recursive algorithm until the ratio of the maximum values of the color separation signals fall within a predetermined range. The high-sensitivity imaging components are protected by controlling impingement of light on the imagining components, selectively controlling emission of white and excitation light from the light source, and controlling the power source for the imaging components.

Fluorescent imaging device

A fluorescent imaging device to prevent the breakdown of a fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus has a light source for endoscope use which selectively switches between an excitation light and a white light. This introduces a light into a light guide of an endoscope and such light is emitted onto an object. A fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging device images the fluorescences obtained by excitation with the excitation light which is emitted onto the object. A white light imaging device images a white light image obtained from the white light which is emitted onto the object. A switch inputs a power source onto the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus and there is a mechanism to prevent overprint on an image plane of the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus which is in the imaging condition with the power source inputted. A fluorescent observation image generating device generates a fluorescent observation image signal for fluorescent observation use, and outputted from the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging measure of the imaging part is in electric signal from; which a white light observation image signal used for white light observation is derived.

Fluorescent diagnostic system and method providing color discrimination enhancement

An apparatus and method is disclosed which stabilizes the light incident a light guide end over a guaranteed operating lifetime of a lamp used to illuminate the light guide end. The apparatus and method minimize variation in illumination incident a light guide end without, for example, controlling the electrical input to the lamp. The invention is especially effective for light guides having a narrow outer diameter, and compensates not only for movement of a region of maximum luminosity, as occurs in lamps where the cathode is partially consumed during operation of the lamp, but also for the lamp luminosity decreasing with age.

Lighting system for light guides

At the tip of an insertion part of an endoscope, an object window for regular observation use is positioned at almost the center, directly connected to which, said object window for fluorescent observation use is provided, and at the both sides of the object window for regular observation use and the object window for fluorescent observation use, two illumination windows are provided. A forceps hole which is an opening part at the tip side of a forceps channel which is inserted into the insertion part is provided at the lower right of the object window for regular observation use, and a treatment tool which is inserted through a forceps insertion channel is to be extruded from this forceps hole. By this way, on monitor images at both of white light observation and fluorescent observation, the treatment tool such as a forceps or the like is designated at almost the same position to improve the manipulation capability.

Endoscopes and endoscope devices which image regular observation images and fluorescent images as well as which provide easier operation of treatment tools

An optical illumination device includes a light emitting section of discharge type and a condenser mirror placed behind the light emitting section to introduce illumination light into a light transmitting fiber. The light emitting section is placed so that its vertical component is larger than its axial component. In this way, rays from the light emitting section can be efficiently introduced into the light transmitting fiber of small diameter without loss.

Optical illumination device

A light source device for endoscopes includes a light source; a condenser lens unit for collecting light beams from the light source; a light guide for receiving the light beams collected through the condenser lens unit into its entrance end face to transmit them to its exit end face; and a reflecting mirror located on the opposite side of the condenser lens unit with respect to the light source. The light source device is designed so that a position where the light beams emitted from the light source are collected directly through the condenser lens unit does not coincide with a position where the light beams emitted from the light source and reflected back to the light source by the reflecting mirror are collected through the condenser lens unit. In an embodiment, an arc axis of the light source is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the condenser lens unit. In another embodiment, direct light and reflected light each enter an entrance face of a forked light guide. In another embodiment, an infra-red removing filter is interposed between a front lens and a rear lens of the condenser unit.

Light source for endoscopes, having different numerical-aperture light

A TV observation system for endoscopes has an illumination system including a light source for emitting light to illuminate an object and a light transmitting section for transmitting the light from the light source to the distal end of an endoscope. The light transmitting section is constructed with a single fiber and satisfies a condition:

TV observation system for endoscopes

A light source device for endoscopes includes a light source for emitting white light containing the components of light belonging to a visible region and wavelength bands other than the visible region; at least, a rotary color separating filter on a field sequential system; and an infrared cutoff filter for blocking light in an infrared region, of a wavelength band of the white light. When the rotary color separating filter is disposed in an optical path from the light source to a light guide, an interference filter in which an interference film is applied to a transparent base plate is placed in the optical path. This arrangement obviates the defect of burning the entrance end of the light guide or of breaking the infrared cutoff filter.

Light source device for endoscopes

An illumination system for endoscopes includes a light source device having an arc discharge lamp and a light source optical system; a light guide cable; and a rigid endoscope provided with a light guide on a scope side and an objective optical system, using lenses as a relay optical system. The light source optical system projects the light-emitting section of the arc discharge lamp on the entrance face of the light guide cable at a magnification of approximately 1.times., and the light guide cable satisfies the following conditions:

Illumination system for endoscopes

A light source device formed of two or more light emitting components and a collector optical component or system which collects light that is emitted from light emitting regions of the light emitting components. Light from the light emitting regions is spatially combined along a common optical axis and formed into an output beam. The light source device positions respective light emitting regions of two or more light emitting components at conjugate foci of a light collector component or system, thus providing a spatially combined output beam from the two or more light emitting regions. Thus, the intensity (i.e., brightness) of the combined output beam exceeds that produced by any individual light emitting region. Further, the light source device of the invention enables a much higher intensity, combined output beam to be produced than previously obtainable from conventional, non-laser light sources.

Light source device

A light source device for endoscopes includes a light source; a condenser lens unit for collecting light beams from the light source; a light guide for receiving the light beams collected through the condenser lens unit into its entrance end face to transmit them to its exit end face; and a reflecting mirror located on the opposite side of the condenser lens unit with respect to the light source. The light source device is designed so that a position where the light beams emitted from the light source are collected directly through the condenser lens unit does not coincide with a position where the light beams emitted from the light source and reflected back to the light source by the reflecting mirror are collected through the condenser lens unit.

A vari-focal image pickup optical system for endoscopes comprising, in order from the object side, a first focusing lens unit which is capable of adjusting a diopter within a range covering positive and negative values, and has a positive refractive power, a second variator lens unit which has a vari-focal function and a negative refractive power, and a third compensator lens unit which maintains an image at a constant location by correcting a deviation of an image location caused by changing a magnification, wherein magnifications of the second lens unit and the third lens unit are changed around a magnification level of -1.times., wherein a magnification of the optical system is changed from that at a wide position to that at a tele position by moving the second lens unit from the object side toward the image side and moving the third lens unit from the image side toward the object side, and wherein the third lens unit is set at the magnification level of -1.times. when the second lens unit is set at the magnification level of -1.times.. The image pickup optical system is compact and light in weight, requires simple procedures for operation and can sufficiently cope with image pickup devices having picture elements arranged at high densities.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Makoto Tomioka