A video endoscope system includes a reusable control cabinet and an endoscope that is connectable thereto. The endoscope may be used with a single patient and then disposed. The endoscope includes an illumination mechanism, an image sensor, and an elongate shaft having one or more lumens located therein. An articulation joint at the distal end of the endoscope allows the distal end to be oriented by the actuators in the control cabinet or actuators in a control handle of the endoscope. Fluidics, electrical, navigation, image, display and data entry controls are integrated into the system along with other accessories.

Articulation joint for video endoscope

An eyeglass interface system is provided which integrates interface systems within eyewear. The system includes a display assembly and one or more audio and/or video assemblies mounted to an eyeglass frame. The display assembly is mounted to one temple and provides an image which can be viewed by the user. The audio or video assembly is mounted to the other temple and is in communication with the display assembly. The audio or video assembly may comprise a camera assembly and/or an audio input or output assembly, such as a microphone and/or speakers. The camera assembly is placed on the temple to record the visual field observed by the user. A head-tracking assembly may be provided to track the position of the user's head. A number of applications can be provided with the present system, such as a telephone system, pager system, or surveillance system. The present eyeglass interface system is compact, offers the user hands-free operation, and provides an attractive appearance due to concealment of the assemblies within the eyeglass frame and lenses.

Eyeglass interface system

An optical system combines a first image formed by a main lens (300) with a second image provided by an electronic display, slide, or other image source (320) The image combining system includes one or more inserts such as a set of reflecting image combiners to redirect light on an optical pathway within the main lens to the user's eye The image combining system is highly compact, allowing the integration of a display system with eyeglasses or a face mask, such as a diver's mask A number of implementations of the optical system make possible other types of image integration including uses in image acquisition systems such as cameras

Image combining system for eyeglasses and face masks

A head-mountable image display system provides an image to a user's eye separate from ambient light. The system includes an optical relay (2026) having an optical pathway to receive light from a display element. The optical relay also permits passage of ambient light toward the user's eye. An eyepiece assembly (2028) is disposed to redirect light on the optical pathway to the user's eye. The system is highly compact, allowing the integration of the display system with eyeglasses, a face mask, such as a diver's mask, a head set, or the like.

Compact image display system for eyeglasses or other head-borne frames

An imaging lens substantially consists of a first lens-group, a stop and a second lens-group in this order from an object-side. The first lens-group substantially consists of three or less lenses including at least one negative lens and a positive lens. The second lens-group substantially consists of a 21st lens-group and a 22nd lens-group in this order from the object-side. The 21st lens-group substantially consists of three or less lenses and has positive refractive-power. The 22nd lens-group substantially consists of two lenses of a negative lens and a positive lens in this order from the object-side. Predetermined conditional formulas about distance on an optical-axis from a most-object-side lens surface in an entire system to an image-plane, maximum image height, distance on the optical-axis from a most-object-side lens surface in the first lens-group to a most-image-side lens surface in the second lens-group, and focal-length of the entire system are satisfied.

Imaging lens and imaging apparatus

An objective lens system for an endoscope comprising a front lens unit, a stop, and a rear lens unit wherein the front lens unit comprises a lens component arranged that the surface on the object side thereof is formed as an aspherical surface having portions whose curvature is made gradually stronger as they are farther from the optical axis or a lens component arranged that the surface on the image side thereof is formed as an aspherical surface having portions whose curvature is made gradually weaker as they are farther from the optical axis, and the rear lens unit comprises a lens component arranged that the surface on the image side thereof is formed as an aspherical surface having portions whose curvature is made gradually stronger as they are farther from the optical axis or a lens component arranged that the surface on the object side thereof is formed as an aspherical surface having portions whose curvature is made gradually weaker as they are farther from the optical axis, the objective lens system for an endoscope being arranged that distortion and curvature of field are corrected favorably.

Objective lens system for an endoscope

An objective for an endoscope comprising, in the order from the object side, a first lens unit I having negative refractive power, a second lens unit II having positive refractive power, a third lens unit III having positive refractive power, an aperture stop S arranged between the front end of the second lens unit and rear end of the third lens unit and a fourth lens group IV comprising a lens component which has a concave surface on the object side, the four unit objective for an endoscope being arranged so that the overall length is short, outer diameter of the objective is small, angle of view is wide, intensity of light in the marginal portion is high, and distortion is corrected favourably.

Objective for an endoscope

PURPOSE: To obtain an endoscope objective lens which is small in its distortion, short in its overall length, small in its outside diameter, and has a wide angle and a large peripheral light quantity, by constituting it of four groups, and containing three pieces or more of lenses having a positive refracting power, including a cemented lens, between the second group and the fourth group. CONSTITUTION: The titled lens is constituted of the first group I having a negative refracting power, the second group II having a positive refracting power, the third group III having a positive refracting power, a brightness diaphgram which is placed between the front end of the second group II and the rear end of the third group, and the fourth group IV containing a lens whose concave surface is turned to an object side, and it is a lens system containing three pieces or more of lenses having a positive refracting power, including a cemented lens between the second group II and the fourth group IV. Also, it is desirable to satisfy the expression. In such a way, even if a main light beam 2 is made incident obliquely to a solid-state image pickup element 1, such a defect as the time when an image fiber is used does not exist, and an image is transmitted. COPYRIGHT: (C)1987,JPO&Japio

Endoscope objective lens

A visual field converting optical system comprising an inhomogeneous medium lens or a prism in which refractive index is linearly changed in a direction different from that of travel of light, in order to be able to perform a visual field conversion with a simple and compact configuration, without generating aberration.

Minoru Okabe

Papers

Objective lens system for an endoscope

Objective for an endoscope

Endoscope objective lens

Visual field converting optical system