The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1996
Christopher R Chaleki, Haydenville, MA (US);
Wayne P Griffin, Dracut, MA (US);
E Arthur Woodbury, Boxford, MA (US);
Arthur C McKinley, Bradford, MA (US);
Harry R McKinley, Southampton, MA (US);
Vista Medical Technologies, Inc., Carlsbad, CA (US);
Abstract
A medical video endoscope system for allowing high-resolution three-dimensional images to be viewed has a stereoscopic endoscope for converting optical images of an object to left and right video image signals. An electronic processor module controls the stereoscopic endoscope and processes the left and right video image signals into time-multiplexed signals representative of high-resolution three-dimensional images having stereoscopic depth. The time-multiplexed signals are provided to a monitor which displays high-resolution video images based on the signals. A viewing device is provided which allows a viewer to see high-resolution three-dimensional video images having stereoscopic depth on the monitor. A rigid sheath assembly with an angled distal tip can be placed over a barrel of the endoscope and rotated with respect thereto in order to change the viewing direction of the stereoscopic endoscope. A conventional two-dimensional endoscope can be coupled to the three-dimensional medical video system by using a camera head designed to convert the two-dimensional optical images generated by the conventional endoscope into left and right signals which are then processed by the system as if they were received from a stereoscopic endoscope to create a two-dimensional video image.