DUAL-TUBE STEREOSCOPE

• US 20110043612A1
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inneroptic Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Inneroptic Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Keller, Kurtis, State, Andrei
• Application Number:
  US12/846,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/49
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00057 provided with means for testing or calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00165 with light-conductive means, e.g. fibre optics A61B1/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2415 Stereoscopic endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/20 using two or more projectors

Abstract

Presented herein are methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media for dual-tube stereoscopes. Embodiments may include an elongated body comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having at least one proximal opening, the distal end having first and second distal openings; a first waveguide coupled to the first distal opening; and a second waveguide coupled to the second distal opening. There may also be optics situated near the proximal end of the elongated body and configured to receive light from the first and second waveguides and to transmit the received light through the at least one proximal opening onto a single light-receiving device. Some embodiments include processing a single received digital image, comprising two sub-images, to produce two images viewable stereoscopically, for example.

Claims

1. A system for capturing images, comprising:

an elongated body comprising;

a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having at least one proximal opening, the distal end having first and second distal openings;

a first waveguide coupled to the first distal opening; and

a second waveguide coupled to the second distal opening; and

optics situated near the proximal end of the elongated body and configured to receive light from the first and second waveguides and to transmit the received light onto a single light-receiving device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, when light is passed through the first and second distal openings, said light is transmitted through the first and second waveguides, through the optics, and through the at least one proximal opening, to produce two sub-images.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the two sub-images are directly eye-viewable.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises one or more computing devices configured to process the two sub-images.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to remove distortions in the two sub-images.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to calibrate or align the two sub-images.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the single light-receiving device is a camera.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the single light-receiving device is a high-definition camera.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the elongated body and optics, in combination, produce two approximately diffraction-limited resolution sub-images.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a resolution of the single light-receiving device is higher than needed to capture the two approximately diffraction-limited resolution sub-images.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said optics comprise a shared optical element that combines the light received from the first and second waveguides and produces the two sub-images on the single light-receiving device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said optics comprise two or more optical elements that transmit the light received from the first and second waveguides to the single light-receiving device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said optics are situated inside said elongated body.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises entry optics coupled to the distal end to provide for capturing light at an angle at the distal end.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a first field stop positioned within a first optical path associated with the first waveguide and a second field stop positioned within a second optical path associated with the second waveguide.

16. A method for producing dual images using a single light-receiving device and a dual-tube stereoscope, comprising:

receiving light through two distal lenses;

transmitting the received light to two waveguides;

transmitting light from the two waveguides onto a single light-receiving device as a single image containing two sub-images; and

processing the single image to produce two images based at least in part on the two sub-images.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises displaying the two produced images stereoscopically to an operator of the dual-tube stereoscope.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein processing the single digital image comprises calibrating or aligning the two sub-images.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the light through two field stops, and wherein the two sub-images that have been produced, at least in part, are based on the light passed through the two field stops.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises recording monoscopic or stereoscopic video of the two images produced based at least in part on the two sub-images.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises displaying the two resulting images stereoscopically to an operator of the dual-tube stereoscope.

21. A system for processing dual-tube stereoscope images, comprising:

an image receiver configured to receive a single digital image from a single light-receiving device, the single digital image comprising two sub-images, the two sub-images having been received at the single light-receiving device from optics, which in turn received light from dual waveguides in a scope; and

one or more computing devices configured to process the single digital image in order to produce one resulting image for each of the two sub-images.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein processing the single digital image comprises removing distortions in the two sub-images.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein processing the single digital image comprises calibrating the two sub-images.

24. A method for processing dual-tube stereoscope images, comprising:

receiving a single digital image from a single light-receiving device, the single digital image comprising two sub-images, the two sub-images having been received at the single light-receiving device from optics, which in turn received light from dual waveguides in a scope; and

processing the single digital image in order to produce one resulting image for each of the two sub-images.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein processing the single digital image comprises calibrating the two sub-images.