Image sensor and an endoscope using the same

• US 6,659,940 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc), Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: C2Cure Inc.
• Inventors: Adler, Doron
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/826,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20010031912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 600/109, 600/129, 348/65, 348/76
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0275 using tracers, e.g. dye dilution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• 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

An endoscope having restricted dimensions and comprising at least one image gatherer, at least one image distorter and at least one image sensor shaped to fit within said limited dimensions, and wherein said image distorter is operable to distort an image received from said image gatherer so that the image is sensible at said shaped image sensor.

Claims

1. An endoscope for internally producing an image of a field of view, said image occupying an area larger than a cross-sectional area of said endoscope, the endoscope comprising:

longitudinal walls;

an image distorter for distorting light received from said field of view into a compact shape;

; and

an image sensor arranged in said compact shape to receive said distorted light to form an image thereon, wherein said image sensor is arranged along said longitudinal walls, the endoscope further comprising a light diverter for diverting said light towards said image sensor.

2. An endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said image sensor comprises two parts, said distorter comprises an image splitter for splitting said image into two parts, and said light diverter is arranged to send light of each image part to a respective part of said image sensor.

3. An endoscope according to claim 2, wherein said sensor parts are aligned on facing lengths of internal sides of said longitudinal walls of said endoscope.

4. An endoscope according to claim 2, wherein said sensor parts are aligned successively longitudinally along an internal side of one of said walls of said endoscope.

5. An endoscope according to claim 1, said image distorter comprising an astigmatic lens shaped to distort a square image into a rectangular shape of substantially equivalent area.

6. An endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising a contrast equalizer for compensating for high contrasts differences due to differential distances of objects in said field of view.

7. An endoscope according to claim 1, said image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels responsive to white light.

8. An endoscope according to claim 1, said image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels responsive to different wavelengths of light.

9. An endoscope according to claim 8, said wavelengths comprising at least three of red light, green light, blue light and infra-red light.