ENDOSCOPE

• US 20140071257A1
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evident Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: YOKOTA, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/68
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000095 for image enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0605 for spatially modulated illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0661 Endoscope light sources

Abstract

An endoscope includes an insertion portion having an elongated shape, an imaging unit provided at a distal portion of the insertion portion and configured to acquire an image of a specimen, a lighting unit configured to illuminate an observation field of view of the imaging unit, and a pattern projector having a light source configured to emit projection light to project a light and dark pattern on the specimen. The pattern projector generates a region, in which the light and dark pattern is not projected, in at least one end of a direction in which stripes of the light and dark pattern are arranged in an imaging field of view of the imaging unit, in a state in which the light and dark pattern is projected on the specimen.

Claims

1. An endoscope configured to measure a specimen using a stripe image formed by projecting a light and dark pattern on the specimen, the endoscope comprising:

an insertion portion having an elongated shape;

an imaging unit provided at a distal portion of the insertion portion and configured to acquire an image of the specimen;

a lighting unit configured to illuminate an observation field of view of the imaging unit; and

a pattern projector having a light source configured to emit projection light to project the light and dark pattern on the specimen, wherein

the pattern projector generates a region, in which the light and dark pattern is not projected, in at least one end of a direction in which stripes of the light and dark pattern are arranged in an imaging field of view of the imaging unit, in a state in which the light and dark pattern is projected on the specimen.

2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging unit includes:

an image sensor configured to image the image of the specimen; and

an objective optical system configured to form the image of the specimen on the image sensor,

the pattern projector includes;

a pattern generator configured to generate the light and dark pattern; and

a projection optical system provided at the distal portion of the insertion portion and configured to radiate the projection light from the light source to the specimen via the light and dark pattern, and

a radiation angle of the projection light in the projection optical system is smaller than an angle of view of the objective optical system.

3. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein

in the state in which the region, in which the light and dark pattern is not projected, is generated in at least one end of the direction in which the stripes of the light and dark pattern are arranged in the imaging field of view of the imaging unit, the objective optical system is in focus.

4. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein

only one projection window configured to project the light and dark pattern on the specimen is provided at a distal surface of the insertion portion.

5. The endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising

a display having a display screen configured to display the image of the specimen, wherein

the display displays a frame on the display screen, the frame showing a predicted projection position on the display screen of the stripe pattern projected on the specimen.

6. The endoscope according to claim 5, further comprising

a controller configured to perform measurement of a three-dimensional shape of the specimen with respect to only a region disposed in the frame on the image displayed on the display screen.