Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Yumi Ikeda

Akira Hasegawa

Tetsuya Yamamoto

Makoto Tomioka

Mitsujiro Konno

Shinya Matsumoto

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 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 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.

Growing community of inventors

Fuchu, Japan

Yumi Ikeda