Endoscope with an interchangeable distal end optical adapter

• US 6,184,923 B1
• Filed: 08/16/1995
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, BRYAN T
• Application Number:
  US08/515,578
• Time in Patent Office: 2,001 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/65, 348/72, 348/75, 348/45, 600/111, 600/166, 600/172, 600/173, 600/175, 600/176
• US Class Current: 348/75
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00101 the distal tip features being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00179 for off-axis viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An endoscope apparatus of the present invention comprises an endoscope with a built-in solid state imaging device at a distal end portion of an insertion tube and a distal end optical adapter detachably connected to the distal end portion of the insertion tube of the endoscope. At least one objective optical system is provided in said distal end optical adapter and an optical image formed on said solid state imaging device through the distal end optical adapter is displayed on a TV monitor through a control device.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope with a built-in solid state imaging device at a distal end portion of an insertion tube without an optical lens system adjacent to the solid state imaging device; and

a first distal end optical adapter and a second distal end optical adapter detachably connectable to the distal end portion of the insertion tube of said endoscope, the first distal end optical adapter having one objective optical system to form an optical image on an image pickup surface of the solid state imaging device, and the second distal end optical adapter having a plurality of objective optical systems to form the optical image on the image-pickup surface of the solid state imaging device, the plurality of objective optical systems being able to simultaneously observe images, the images having different angles of view, wherein the different angles of view are a narrow angle of view and a wide angle of view.

2. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein visual field directions of the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are the same.

3. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein configurations of the plurality of optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are different.

4. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter have different depth of observation and different diaphragm values with respect to each other.

5. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter have different angles of view with respect to each other.

6. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein configurations of the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are the same.

7. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a stereoscopic vision observation can be performed by displaying said optical image through a picture image changing device, said optical image formed on the solid state imaging device through two same objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter.

8. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope with a built-in solid state imaging device at a distal end portion of an insertion tube without an optical lens system adjacent to the solid state imaging device; and

a first distal end optical adapter and a second distal end optical adapter detachably connectable to the distal end portion of the insertion tube of said endoscope, the first distal end optical adapter having one objective optical system to form an optical image on an image pickup surface of the solid state imaging device, and the second distal end optical adapter having a plurality of objective optical systems to form the optical image on the image-pickup surface of the solid state imaging device, the plurality of objective optical systems being able to simultaneously observe images, the images having different angles of view, the different angles of view having angles different in number.

9. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein visual field directions of the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are the same.

10. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 9, wherein configurations of the plurality of optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are different.

11. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter have different depth of observation and different diaphragm values with respect to each other.

12. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter have different angles of view with respect to each other.

13. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein configurations of the plurality of objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter are the same.

14. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a stereoscopic vision observation can be performed by displaying said optical image through a picture image changing device, said optical image formed on the solid state imaging device through two same objective optical systems provided in said second distal end optical adapter.