Stereoendoscope wherein images having passed through plural incident pupils are transmitted by common relay optical systems

• US 6,306,082 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1998
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Shinichi, Takahashi, Susumu, Takebayashi, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US09/053,094
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 600/176, 600/166, 600/111, 600/173, 600/181, 600/109, 359/618, 359/639, 359/640, 359/725, 359/226, 359/656, 359/738-740, 359/419, 359/420, 359/372, 359/433, 348/45, 348/65
• US Class Current: 600/173
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2415 Stereoscopic endoscopes

Abstract

The illuminating light transmitted by the light guide inserted through the elongate inserted section is projected out of the distal end surface of the inserted section. The illuminated objects pass through the respective non-superimposed pupils of the two objective lens systems arranged in parallel within the distal end section of the inserted section and their images, which are not equal to each other are formed on the focal surface. The respective images are transmitted to the rear side by one common relay lens system having a single optical axis. The transmitted final images are formed respectively on the image taking surfaces of the image taking devices. The respective images photoelectrically converted by the respective image taking devices are processed to be signals, are displayed in the monitor and are stereo-inspected through shutter spectacles.

Claims

1. An endoscope comprising:

an elongated inserted section;

an illuminating light projecting means projecting an illuminating light from the distal end side of said insertion section;

an objective optical system arranged on the distal end side of said insertion section, having at least two optical systems having plural pupils receiving the light from an object illuminated by said illuminating light and forming at least two images not equal to each other, said plural pupils being arranged so as not to be superimposed, and

one image transmitting optical system arranged within said inserted section and having a single optical axis, transmitting said two images simultaneously,

wherein said two optical systems have two optical axes not parallel with each other and form images different in the visual field direction from each other.

2. An endoscope, comprising:

an objective optical system having plural visual field direction s and plural pupils corresponding to the visual field directions, the plural pupils being arranged so as not to be superimposed, and the objective optical system forming at least one object image;

a transmitting optical system for med to be of a size equal to or larger am the size of the plural pupils from the objective optical system and having a single optical axis, transmitting rearward the object image and said plural pupils from said objective optical system simultaneously.

3. An endoscope according to claim 2, further comprising a pupil separating means for separating plural pupils corresponding respectively to beams in different directions and transmitted by said transmitting optical system and an image forming optical system forming object images formed by the beams included in a range of the pupils corresponding to separated respective visual field directions.

4. An endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the pupil separating means is arranged near the plural pupils transmitted by said transmitting optical system on a side on which the rays are projected by said transmitting optical system.

5. An endoscope according to claim 3, further comprising plural image taking means for receiving respectively plural object images formed by said image forming optical system and forming images.

6. An endoscope according to claim 5 wherein said pupil separating means has a reflecting means directing the plural beams separated by an optical member in a direction substantially parallel with the optical axis of said transmitting optical system and said plural image taking means receive the beams reflected by said reflecting means and take respectively the object images formed by said image forming optical system.

7. An endoscope comprising:

an objective optical system, said objective optical system having plural visual field directions and plural pupils corresponding to these visual field directions and formed so as not to be superimposed on each other and forming object images, and

a transmitting optical system having a single optical axis and transmitting the object images and plural pupils from said objective optical system simultaneously;

wherein said objective optical system further comprises a front side optical system which receives beams in directions different from each other and projects said beams as plural substantially afocal beams arranged substantially in parallel along the optical axis of said transmitting optical system and a rear side optical system which has a single optical axis common with said transmitting optical system, converges the plural beams from said front side optical system and forms object images rearward, and

wherein said image transmitting optical system transmits rearward the object images and plural pupils, and is formed to be of a size equal to or larger than the size of the plural pupils corresponding to the plural beams transmitted from said rear side optical system.

8. An endoscope according to claim 7, further comprising an image forming optical system having an optical axis common with said transmitting optical system and forming an object image formed of the beam included in the range of plural pupils corresponding to the respective visual field directions from said transmitting optical system.

9. An endoscope according to claim 8 wherein said image forming optical system is an ocular optical system forming plural object images corresponding to different visual field directions so as to be observable with the naked eyes.

10. An endoscope according to claim 9 wherein a means setting plural pupils corresponding to the respective beams in said plural different directions is provided in either of said objective optical system and said transmitting optical system.

11. An endoscope according to claim 8 wherein a means setting plural pupils corresponding to the respective beams in said plural different directions is provided in either of said objective optical system and said transmitting optical system.

12. An endoscope comprising

an objective optical system having plural visual field directions and plural pupils corresponding to said plural visual field directions;

and

a transmitting optical system having a single optical axis,

wherein said objective optical system comprises a front side optical system including plural pupils receiving respectively plural beams in directions different from each other and a prism optical system varying at least one of said beams and converting the respective beams to beams directed in substantially the same direction and a rear side optical system forming object images made of plural beams from said front side optical system in substantially the same position, and

wherein said transmitting optical system transmits rearward the object images and plural pupils from said rear side optical system simultaneously.

13. An endoscope comprising:

an objective optical system having plural visual field directions and plural pupils corresponding to said plural visual field directions, and

a transmitting optical system having a single optical axis, wherein said objective optical system has a front side optical system including plural lenses having optical axes in directions different from each other and a prism optical system receiving the respective beams having passed through said plural lenses and converting said beams to plural beams arranged substantially in parallel along the optical axis of said transmitting optical system and a rear side optical system having a size including the beams projected out of said front side optical system and having a single axis and having a convergence for projected rays to simultaneously form images of the plural beams, and

wherein said transmitting optical system transmits rearward the object images and plural pupils from said rear side optical system simultaneously.

14. An endoscope according to claim 13 wherein an ocular optical system having an optical axis common with said transmitting optical system is arranged on the proximal side of the transmitting optical system.

15. An endoscope according to claim 13, further comprising a reflecting means directing the plural beams projected out of said optical system in respectively different directions, plural image forming optical systems provided in the respective light paths of the respective beams to form object images of the respective beams reflected by said reflecting means and plural image taking means taking images by receiving the respective object images formed by said image forming optical system.

16. An endoscope comprising:

an objective optical system; and

a transmitting optical system,

wherein said transmitting optical system has a single optical axis,

wherein said objective optical system further comprises a front side optical system including a lens having a negative refractive power and a rear side optical system including a lens having a positive refractive power. and has a convergence,

wherein said front side optical system includes plural lenses having optical axes in directions different from each other and a prism receiving beams in directions different from each other and converting said beams to plural beams arranged substantially in parallel with the single optical axis of said transmitting optical system, and

wherein said rear side optical system has a size including the beams projected out of said front side optical system, and has a single optical axis. and forms images of objects of said plural beams simultaneously through said transmitting optical system on an image surface.