Endoscope apparatus
US8836776B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 13, 2013 |
| Grant date | Sep 16, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 13, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N23/555
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
There is provided an endoscope apparatus capable of stably and precisely measuring a distance to an object by suppressing variations in measured values of the distance to the object depending on the presence or absence of pigment dispersion or the like and capable of enabling observations based on clear and high quality images. The endoscope apparatus includes an optical system that condenses light from an object and simultaneously forms two optical images having the same characteristics with difference only in focal point; an imaging element that captures the two optical images formed by the optical system and acquires two images; and a calculation unit that obtains distance information corresponding to a distance to the object based on a contrast ratio of the two images in a range in which the two images acquired by the imaging element have a common contrast.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.