Electronically Steerable Endoscope

• US 6,261,226 B1
• Filed: 09/01/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ledyard National Bank (Ledyard Financial Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medical Media Systems
• Inventors: Rosen, Joseph M., Robbie, Peter J., Chen, David T., McKenna, Michael A., Pieper, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US09/144,752
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 600/103, 600/109, 600/129, 600/173, 348/36, 348/39, 348/65, 348/143, 348/207, 348/240
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00181 for multiple fixed viewing angles A61B1/00193 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• 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

Abstract

A multiple view endoscope provides “on command” images of a plurality of different fields of view surrounding the distal end of the endoscope without having to move the endoscope from an initially established position in order to access the different fields of view. In one embodiment, a CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells forms a circumferential band about the distal portion of the endoscope. In another embodiment, the plurality of CCD cells covers substantially all of the outer side wall of the shaft adjacent to the distal end. In both embodiments, a processing device functions to either use the outputs from all the CCD cells to generate a display image or use the outputs from only selected ones of the CCD cells to generate a display image of a selected portion of the entire image captured by the CCD element.

Claims

1. An endoscope comprising:

an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end;

image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprise at least one CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and

processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means;

and further wherein said CCD element forms a circumferential band about said distal portion of said shaft.

2. And endoscope according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of illumination means are disposed in a circumferentially spaced array adjacent to said CCD element on at least one side thereof.

3. An endoscope according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of non-visual sensing means are disposed in a circumferentially spaced array adjacent to said CCD element on at least one side thereof.

4. An endoscope comprising:

an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end;

image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprise at least one CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and

processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means;

and further wherein said CCD element covers substantially all of said outer side wall of said shaft.

5. An endoscope according to claim 4 wherein said CCD element also covers said distal end surface of said shaft.