Imaging apparatus and endoscope apparatus using the same

• US 4,974,076 A
• Filed: 12/11/1989
• Issued: 11/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kazunari, Takano, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Application Number:
  US07/449,436
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 358/93, 358/98, 358/113, 128/4, 128/6, 128/303.1, 128/633, 250/330, 250/334
• US Class Current: 348/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/046 for infrared imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0669 at proximal end of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/12 with one sensor only
• 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 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

The imaging apparatus and endoscope apparatus comprise an image forming optical system forming the image of an object to be imaged. An imaging device has a sensitivity to a wavelength range ranging from a visible range to a range other than the visible range and converts the image formed by the image forming optical system to an electric signal. A wavelength range dividing device divides the wavelength range ranging from the visible range to the range other than the visible range into a plurality of wavelength ranges. A selecting device selects at least one wavelength range from among the wavelength ranges divided by the wavelength range dividing device. A signal processing device processes the output signals of the imaging device in response to the selected wavelength ranges so as to be video signals.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus for observing an object image of ordinary light and an object image of particular light comprising:

an illuminating means for emitting an illuminating light of a wavelength range ranging from a visible range to a range other than the visible range;

an image forming optical system forming said object image to be imaged;

an imaging means having a sensitivity to a wavelength range ranging from the visible range to the range other than the visible range and using a solid state imaging device converting an image formed by said image forming optical system into an electric signal;

a first filter transmitting a narrow band insertably provided in the optical path from said illuminating means to said imaging means;

a second filter to separate in time series the wavelength range of the illuminating light from said illuminating means into a plurality of wavelength ranges within the range to which said imaging means has a sensitivity, said second filter having a plurality of types of component filters, respective component filters having a transmitting characteristic of respectively transmitting a first specific wavelength range within the visible band and a second specific wavelength range within the band other than the visible band, said respective component filters of said second filter transmit respectively different first specific wavelength ranges within said visible band, said second specific wavelength ranges within said band other than the visible band transmitted by said respective component filters are the same wavelength ranges within the infrared band;

a band dividing means for dividing wavelength ranges of the illuminating light into said visible band and said band other than the visible band, said band dividing means for selecting either band to select a wavelength range imaged by said imaging means and to obtain said object image of ordinary light or particular light, said band dividing means includes a third filter selectively transmitting the visible band and infrared band; and

a signal processing means for processing output signals of said imaging means corresponding to the illuminating light of the wavelength ranges within a band selected by said band dividing means by allotting the output signals to respective different color signals so as to be video signals.

2. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said narrow band of said first filter lies in a neighborhood of 805 nm.