High resolution, wide field of view endoscopic viewing system
US5846185A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 8, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 17, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2013/0088
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An endoscopic probe for viewing difficult to reach surfaces is provided. The system utilizes a pair of image transmission elements. The first image transmission element passes a low resolution, wide field of view image of the surface to be examined to one eyepiece. The second image transmission element passes a high resolution, narrow field of view image of a portion of the same surface to a second eyepiece. Thus the viewer receives low resolution, wide field of view information in one eye and high resolution, narrow field of view information in the other eye. The overlapped, low resolution information from the wide field-of-view scene is suppressed by the brain, thus resulting in the two images being combined. The combined image contains both the low resolution, wide field-of-view information and the high resolution, narrow field-of-view information. The endoscopic probe may contain one or more illumination sources in order to provide sufficient light intensity for the imaging system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.