Wide angle HDTV endoscope
First Claim
1. An elongate wide viewing angle endoscope having a proximal end and a distal end comprising:
- at least two rounded optical imaging channels at a distal end of said endoscope;
an image sensor arrangement for sensing rounded images that overlap and are provided by the rounded optical imaging channels; and
an image processing device for receiving an output from the image sensor arrangement.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A wide angle HDTV endoscope includes at least two optical imaging channels. Lenses close each channel at the distal end of the endoscope. The imaging channels each have a different field of view in complementary directions, and have overlapping or cross-over field of view areas. Received images are transmitted along the longitudinal axis of the imaging channels of the endoscope to a camera head that contains a wide screen image sensing device. An external light source provides the required lighting and an image processing device can provide necessary software algorithms to format the images and to control any overlapping or cross-over field of view areas to obtain a single display image. In another arrangement, optical blocking elements provided at the proximal end of the endoscope or within the imaging channels eliminate portions of one or more images from the imaging channels so that at the cross-over areas only a single image is provided to the imaging device.
113 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An elongate wide viewing angle endoscope having a proximal end and a distal end comprising:
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at least two rounded optical imaging channels at a distal end of said endoscope; an image sensor arrangement for sensing rounded images that overlap and are provided by the rounded optical imaging channels; and an image processing device for receiving an output from the image sensor arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21)
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5. An elongate wide viewing angle endoscope having a proximal end and a distal end comprising:
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at least two rounded optical imaging channels at a distal end of said endoscope, said imaging channels having fields of view that define at least one cross-over area whereat a rounded image from a first one of said imaging channels overlaps a rounded image from a second one of said imaging channels; an image sensor arrangement for sensing the rounded images that include the at least one cross-over area provided by the rounded optical imaging channels; and an image processing device for receiving an output from the image sensor arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 19)
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8. An elongate wide viewing angle endoscope having a proximal end and a distal end comprising:
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at least two rounded optical imaging channels at a distal end of said endoscope, each said imaging channel having a circular or elliptical shape along a length thereof; an image sensor arrangement for sensing rounded images provided by the rounded optical imaging channels, said image sensor arrangement having a rectangular shape for receiving the rounded images from the imaging channels; and an image processing device for receiving an output from the image sensor arrangement and eliminating all portions of the rounded images that overlap except one said image from one of said channels for displaying a single display image formed by the images from the imaging channels. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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20. An elongate wide viewing angle endoscope having a proximal end and a distal end comprising:
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at least two and no more than five rounded optical imaging channels at a distal end of said endoscope; an image sensor arrangement for sensing rounded overlapping images provided by the rounded optical imaging channels, the rounded overlapping images completely enclosing the image sensor arrangement and defining at least one cross-over area; and an image processing device for receiving an output from the image sensor arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification