Patent · US Expired

Stereo endoscope and stereo endoscope imaging apparatus

US5776049A · kind A · utility

82Cited by
13References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 24, 1995
Grant dateJul 7, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 24, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N2013/0085
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A stereo endoscope including a pair of objective optical systems, a pair of relay optical systems, an imagery optical system having a single optical axis, and a pair of imaging devices. The imagery optical system is a zoom optical system or a varifocal optical system. For example, an encoder is used to detect a magnitude of moving lenses in the zoom optical system. Based on the detected magnitude, a control unit allows the two imaging devices to approach or depart from each other. Thus, the stereo endoscope attains the coincidence between observation points of right and left fields of view against the displacement points of right and left object images resulting from variations of zooming magnifications.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.