Endoscope apparatus

• US 4,878,113 A
• Filed: 08/10/1988
• Issued: 10/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kazunari
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/230,540
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 358/98, 358/42, 358/113, 128/6
• US Class Current: 348/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1459 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

The endoscope apparatus comprises an endoscope body having an elongate insertable part having an observing window in the tip part and an image forming optical system forming an object image by receiving a light returning from the object and entering through the observing window; an imaging device imaging the object image formed by the image forming optical system; a first wavelength range separating device separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges in response to a simultaneous type color imaging system; a second wavelength range separating device separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges of a combinations different from the first wavelength range separating means; a signal processing device processing signals for the imaging device in response to the respective wavelength ranges separated by the first wavelength range separating means or the second wavelength range separating means; and a switching device switching the first wavelength range separating device and the second wavelength range separating device. All pixels of the imaging device corresponding to the second wavelength range separating device are included in all pixels of the imaging device corresponding to the first wavelength range separating device.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

An endoscope body having an elongate insertable part having an observing window in the tip part and an image forming optical system forming an object image by receiving a light returning from the object and entering through said observing window;

an imaging means imaging the object image formed by said image forming optical system;

a first wavelength range separating means separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges in response to a simultaneous type color imaging system;

a second wavelength range separating means separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges of a combination different from said first wavelength range separating means, all pixels of said imaging means corresponding to this second wavelength range separating means being included in all pixels of said imaging means corresponding to said first wavelength range separating means;

a signal processing means processing signals for said imaging means in response to the respective wavelength ranges separated by said first wavelength range separating means or said second wavelength range separating means; and

a switching means switching said first wavelength range separating means and said second wavelength range separating means.

2. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said endoscope body further comprises an eyepiece part provided on the rear end side of said insertable part and an image transmitting means transmitting an object image formed by said image forming optical system to said eyepiece part and said imaging means is a television camera removably fitted to said eyepiece part.

3. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an illuminating means feeding an illuminating means feeding an illuminating light to the observed visual field of said image forming optical system.

4. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said illuminating means has an illuminating window provided in the tip part of the insertable part of said endoscope body, a light source provided separately from said endoscope body and an illuminating light transmitting means transmitting an illuminating light emitted from said light source to said illuminating window.

5. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second wavelength range separating means is a filter which can transmit a part of the wavelength range to be separated by said first wavelength range separating means and said switching means has a means of removably inserting the filter as said second wavelength range separating means between the illuminating light source and said imaging means.

6. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said first wavelength range separating means separates the visible light range into three wavelength ranges for obtaining color picture images.

7. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates the wavelength range into a plurality of wavelength ranges including at least the wavelength range in which the variation of the extinction of a blood by the variation of the oxygen saturation degree of hemoglobin is large and the wavelength range in which the variation of the extinction of a blood by the variation of the oxygen saturation degree of hemoglobin is small.

8. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates the wavelength range into a plurality of wavelength ranges including at least the wavelength range in which the infrared light absorption degree of an infrared light absorbing color is large and the wavelength range in which the infrared light absorption degree of an infrared light absorbing color is small.

9. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said imaging means is a solid state imaging device.

10. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said solid state imaging device is arranged in the image forming position of said image forming optical system.

11. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said second wavelength range separating means corresponds to a simultaneous type color imaging system and, in case this wavelength range separating means is used, a pixel information will be obtained from substantially all pixels of said imaging means.

12. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising a filter member integrating a filter as said first wavelength range separating means and a filter as said second wavelength range separating means and arrangeable so that in the first state, said first wavelength range separating means may be in the position corresponding to the photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device and said second wavelength range separating means may be in the position corresponding to the non-photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device and, in the second state, said second wavelength range separating means be in the position corresponding to the photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device and said first wavelength range separating means may be in the position corresponding to the non-photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device, said switching means having a moving means varying the relative optical position of said filter member and the photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device.

13. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said moving means uses piezoelectric oscillators.

14. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said first wavelength range separating means separates a visible light range into three wavelength ranges for obtaining a color picture image.

15. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates the wavelength range outside the visible light range into a plurality of wavelength ranges.

16. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first wavelength separating means separates in time series the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges.

17. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said first wavelength range separating means is a filter transmitting also the light in the wavelength range to be separated by said second wavelength range separating means, said second wavelength range separating means is a filter provided removably between an illuminating light source and said imaging means and transmitting in turn the lights in a plurality of wavelength ranges and said switching means has a means of removably inserting the filter as said second wavelength range separating means between the illuminating light source and said imaging means.

18. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said first wavelength range separating means separates a visible light range into three wavelength ranges for obtaining color picture images.

19. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates a wavelength range in which the variation of the extinction of a blood by the variation of the oxygen saturation degree of hemoglobin is large into a plurality of wavelength ranges.

20. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates a wavelength range in which the variation of the extinction of a blood by the variation of the oxygen saturation degree of hemoglobin is small into a plurality of wavelength ranges.

21. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates a part of the visible light range into a plurality of wavelength ranges.

22. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates a green color light range into three wavelength ranges.

23. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates a wavelength range outside the visible light range into a plurality of wavelength ranges.

24. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 23 further comprising a filter interposed between the illuminating light source and said imaging means in case said first wavelength range separating means is to be used and intercepting the wavelength range outside the visible range corresponding to said second wavelength range separating means.

25. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates an infrared light range into three wavelength ranges.

26. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said second wavelength range separating means separates an ultraviolet light range into three wavelength ranges.

27. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging means imaging an object image;

a first wavelength range separating means separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges in response to a simultaneous type color imaging system;

a second wavelength range separating means separating the object image into images in a plurality of wavelength ranges of a combination different from said first wavelength range separating means, all pixels of said imaging means corresponding to this second wavelength range separating means being included in all pixels of said imaging means corresponding to said first wavelength range separating means;

a signal processing means processing signals for said imaging means in response to the respective wavelength ranges separated said first wavelength range separating means or said second wavelength range separating means; and

a switching means switching said first wavelength range separating means and said second wavelength range separating means.

28. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a solid state imaging device imaging an object image;

a filter member having a plurality of sets of optical members different from one another in the optical characteristics and arrangeable on the respective sets so that, when one set of optical members is in the position corresponding to the photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device, the other set of optical members may be in the position corresponding to the non-photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device; and

a moving means varying the relative optical positions of said filter member and the photosensitive part of said solid state imaging device.