Stereo endoscope

• US 6,614,595 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, AUDREY Y
• Application Number:
  US09/783,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20020114071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 359/464, 359/462, 359/375, 359/376, 359/378, 359/480, 359/482, 600/111, 600/112, 600/166, 348/45
• US Class Current: 359/464
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2415 Stereoscopic endoscopes

Abstract

A stereo endoscope having right and left optical systems for stereoscopic observation which form the right and left images, respectively. The stereo endoscope further including a third optical system which has a wider field of view and a smaller maximum lens diameter than the right and left optical systems.

Claims

1. A stereo endoscope system comprising:

a right optical system which forms a right image for stereoscopic observation, said right optical system includes a right objective optical system and a right relay optical system;

a left optical system which forms a left image for stereoscopic observation, said left optical system includes a left objective optical system and a left relay optical system, and said right image and left image are images of a same object and have a parallax with each other; and

a third optical system which forms a third image, said third optical system includes a third objective optical system and a third relay optical system,

said optical systems satisfy the following conditions;

(1) FAw/FAlr>

1.3; and

(2) 0.3<

LDw/LDlr<

0.8, wherein

FAw is the field angle of view of said third optical system,

FAlr is the field angle of view of said right and left optical systems;

LDw is the maximum lens diameter of said third relay optical system; and

LDlr is the maximum lens diameter of said left and right relay optical systems.

2. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein said right, left, and third objective optical systems share a prism unit so as to have a same oblique direction of view.

3. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a camera head with first, second and third image-pick-up elements, wherein said stereo endoscope and said camera head are designed so as to connect both ordinary and upside-down postures in order to change postures of first, second and third images picked-upped by said image pick-up elements.

4. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein all of said relay optical systems from exit pupils on a plane near an exit end of said respective relay optical systems, and said exit pupils do not overlap with each other.

5. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 4 further comprising:

a right image formation optical system which is on the rear side of said right relay optical system and which has a right axis-shifting member;

a left image formation optical system which is on the rear side of said left relay optical system and which has a left axis-shifting member; and

a third image formation optical system disposed on the rear side of said third relay optical system, which said right and left axis shifting members are designed so that ray bundles passing through the exit pupil of said third relay optical system are not rejected.

6. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 5 wherein said third image formation optical system has a third axis shifting member, and said third axis shifting member is designed so that the exit optical axis of said third axis shifting member is at the center of the right and left exit optical axes which are made by said right and left axis shifting members, respectively.

7. The stereo endoscope system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a camera head with a first, second and third image-pick-up elements, wherein said stereo endoscope and said camera head are designed so as to connect both ordinary and upside-down postures in order to change postures of first, second and third images picked-upped by said image pick-up elements.

8. A stereo endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein said right, left and third optical system are substantially parallel to each other.

9. A stereo endoscope system according to claim 8,

wherein said right, left and third optical systems are arranged in a common insertion tube.