IMAGING OPTICAL SYSTEM AND ENDOSCOPE IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20090086017A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyano, Hitoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/208,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/243 Objectives for endoscopes

Abstract

An imaging optical system disposed in a front end portion of an insertion section of an endoscope is provided and satisfies:

$\begin{array}{cc}-1.5\le \frac{\left(\mathrm{Tf}+\mathrm{Sf}\right)/2-\mathrm{Zf}}{\left(\mathrm{Tn}+\mathrm{Sn}\right)/2-\mathrm{Zn}}\le 0.0& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

where, Zf is a spherical aberration of a ray transmitted through 70% of a pupil diameter, and Sf and Tf are field curvatures in a sagittal direction and a tangential direction, respectively, at 80% of a maximum image height, at the imaging position at a time when an object is disposed at the far point; and Zn is a spherical aberration of a ray transmitted through 70% of a pupil diameter at the imaging position, and Sn and Tn are field curvatures in a sagittal direction and a tangential direction, respectively, at 80% of the maximum image height, at the imaging position at the time when the object is disposed at the near point.

Claims

1. An imaging optical system disposed in a front end portion of an insertion section of an endoscope,

wherein

when a position on which light from an object distance is focused by the imaging optical system is defined as an imaging position, and the farthest limit and the nearest limit of depth of field in the imaging optical system are defined as a far point and a near point, respectively, the imaging optical system satisfies conditional expression (1):

$\begin{array}{cc}-1.5\le <br><br>\frac{\left(\mathrm{Tf}+\mathrm{Sf}\right)/2-\mathrm{Zf}}{\left(\mathrm{Tn}+\mathrm{Sn}\right)/2-\mathrm{Zn}}\le <br><br>0.0& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

wherein

Zf represents a spherical aberration of a ray transmitted through 70% of a pupil diameter at the imaging position at a time when an object is disposed at the far point,

Sf represents a field curvature in a sagittal direction at 80% of a maximum image height at the imaging position at the time when the object is disposed at the far point,

Tf represents a field curvature in a tangential direction at 80% of the maximum image height at the imaging position at the time when the object is disposed at the far point,

Zn represents a spherical aberration of a ray transmitted through 70% of a pupil diameter at the imaging position at a time when the object is disposed at the near point,

Sn represents a field curvature in a sagittal direction at 80% of the maximum image height at the imaging position at the time when the object is disposed at the near point, and

Tf represents a field curvature in a tangential direction at 80% of the maximum image height at the imaging position at the time when the object is disposed at the near point.

2. The imaging optical system according to claim 1, which does not include a focus adjustment mechanism for focusing responsive to change of the object distance.

3. An endoscope imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging optical system according to claim 1; and

an imaging device that converts an image formed by the imaging optical system into an electric signal for displaying the image on a display device,

wherein

the least circle of confusion diameter δ

at a time when an image on the display device is observed satisfies 2V/240≦

δ

≦

2V/160, wherein V represents a size at the imaging position of an image displayed in a vertical direction on the display device, and

when a depth of focus d on an image side of the imaging optical system is defined as d=δ

×

Fe by the least circle of confusion diameter δ and

an effective F number Fe,

the far point is a conjugate point of a point separated at a distance of the depth of focus d from the imaging position toward the imaging optical system, and

the near point is a conjugate point of a point separated at a distance of the depth of focus d from the imaging position toward an opposite side to the imaging optical system.

4. An endoscope imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging optical system according to claim 2; and

an imaging device that converts an image formed by the imaging optical system into an electric signal for displaying the image on a display device,

wherein

the least circle of confusion diameter δ

at a time when an image on the display device is observed satisfies 2V/240≦

δ

≦

2V/1 60, wherein V represents a size at the imaging position of an image displayed in a vertical direction on the display device, and

when a depth of focus d on an image side of the imaging optical system is defined as d=δ

×

Fe by the least circle of confusion diameter δ and

an effective F number Fe,

the far point is a conjugate point of a point separated at a distance of the depth of focus d from the imaging position toward the imaging optical system, and

the near point is a conjugate point of a point separated at a distance of the depth of focus d from the imaging position toward an opposite side to the imaging optical system.