A cart or man-portable system and method for performing endoscopic procedures is provided. A portable display device, such as a laptop computer, is coupled to a handle comprising a miniature camera and fiber optic illumination subsystem. A sterile disposable portion is fitted over the illumination subsystem and inserted into a target area on a patient. Images of the target area are conveyed from the camera to the display device while an endoscopic procedure is performed, thus facilitating real-time diagnosis during the procedure.

Portable imaging system employing a miniature endoscope

An electronic endoscope system according to the present invention has a video-scope that has an image sensor, and a light source unit that is capable of selectively emitting normal-light and excitation-light. The electronic endoscope system further has a signal processor and a display processor. The signal processor generates normal color image signals, which corresponds to the normal color image, on the basis of the normal image-pixel signals. Similarly, the signal processor generates auto-fluorescent image signals corresponding to the auto-fluorescent image on the basis of the auto-fluorescent image-pixel signals, and generates diagnosis color image signals corresponding to the diagnosis color image on the basis of the normal color image signals and the auto-fluorescent image signals. The display processor processes the normal color image signals, the auto-fluorescent image signals, and the diagnosis color image signals so as simultaneously to display a normal color movie-image, an auto-fluorescent movie-image, and a diagnosis color movie-image.

Electronic endoscope system

A three-dimensional image capturing device has a center LED and peripheral LEDs which are arranged around the center LED. The center LED and peripheral LEDs irradiate distance measuring light beams to a measurement subject. The distance measurement light beams are reflected by a surface of the measurement subject, and the reflected light beams are received by an imaging device, so that distances from the imaging device to the measurement subject are sensed in accordance with the received light amount. The irradiation timings of the center LED and the peripheral LEDs are adjusted, in such a manner that, when the measurement subject is a flat plane parallel to the light receiving surface of the imaging device, the reflected light beams from all of the LEDs are simultaneously received by the imaging device.

Three-dimensional image capturing device

An endoscope insertion portion of the invention comprises: a distal end portion; first image pickup means for obtaining a first observation image, the first image pickup means being disposed to the distal end portion; second image pickup means for obtaining a second observation image, the second image pickup means being disposed to the distal end portion; a first object optical system for condensing photographing light incident on the first image pickup means, the first object optical system being located in the distal end portion; a second object optical system for condensing photographing light incident on the second image pickup means, the second object optical system being located in the distal end portion; and a plurality of illumination optical systems for irradiating light to a subject, the plurality of illumination optical systems being located in the distal end portion in a manner sandwiching each of the first object optical system and the second object optical system. The endoscope insertion portion thus can show enough of good observation performance by distributing a plurality of image pickup means with necessary amount of illumination light.

Endoscope insertion portion

An auto-focusing device and an electronic image pickup apparatus facilitates realizing a high focusing accuracy and a quick focusing operation simultaneously using an inexpensive plastic lens mount. The auto-focusing device according includes a means for correcting the conversion reference, if necessary, for converting the object distance measured by the open-control range finding means to a focusing position of the focusing lens based on the conversion reference and for moving the focusing lens to the converted focusing position. The electronic image pickup apparatus includes the auto-focusing device.

Automatic focusing device and the electronic image pickup apparatus using the same

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises a plurality of laser devices, and an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes. Each of the laser devices radiates a pulse modulated laser beam so as to detect distance information or data relating to a topography of a measurement subject. The laser beam is radiated onto the measurement subject and a reflected light beam is sensed by the CCD. Signal charge corresponding to a distance from the image capturing device to the measurement subject is accumulated in each of the photo-diodes, and thus the above distance information is sensed. Each laser beam, respectively radiated from each of the laser devices, shares illuminating area at the distance of the measurement subject, so that radiant energy of each laser beam can be reduced by sharing a single distance measurement operation among the plurality of laser devices.

Three-dimensional image capturing device and its laser emitting device

There is provided an endoscope system, which is provided with an endoscope that has an image pick-up device having a plurality of cells for accumulating charge in response to an image formed on the plurality of cells, a light source that is capable of emitting excitation light, and a controlling system that controls the image pick-up device so that charges accumulated in two or more of the plurality of cells are added together when the excitation light is used.

Endoscope system for fluorescent observation

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes, a vertical transfer unit and a substrate. The plurality of photo-diodes is separated into a plurality of groups and each of the groups can be controlled independently. A distance measuring light beam having a predetermined pulse width is radiated to a measurement subject and a reflected light beam, generated by the measurement subject due to the distance measuring light beam, is sensed by the photo-diodes, so that a distance information sensing operation which detects distance information of the measurement subject is executed. In the distance information sensing operation, only predetermined groups of the photo-diodes are used for sensing the distance information, while in an image information sensing operation, which detects an image of the measurement subject, all photo-diodes in the CCD are used.

Nobuhiro Tani

Papers

Three-dimensional image capturing device and its laser emitting device

Endoscope system for fluorescent observation

Device for capturing three-dimensional images with independently controllable groups of photoelectric conversion elements