JP4420315B2 - Stereoscopic endoscope and stereoscopic endoscope system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic endoscope and a stereoscopic endoscope system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in order to shoot a binocular parallax image, the left and right binocular parallax images are taken from two different left and right viewpoints using two imaging devices, or the images from the left and right different viewpoints are bent by a reflector. In addition, there is known one that guides into the field of view of the objective lens of one common imaging device and images in parallel.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, a device using two image pickup devices becomes large and expensive. In addition, when using an adapter that bends the left and right images with a reflecting mirror and guides them to one objective lens, the adapter must use many mirrors and lenses. Has a problem of increasing the size.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and its object is to attach the objective lens tip of one endoscope without increasing the diameter of the objective lens tip with a simple configuration. Thus, a stereoscopic endoscope and a stereoscopic endoscope system that can capture binocular parallax images in parallel are provided.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention that achieves the above object is a pair of parallel-arranged units that bend an optical axis that passes through the left half of the tip opening of the objective lens and an optical axis that passes through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. For imaging binocular parallax images comprising a pair of decentered lens parts corresponding to an optical element and the pair of optical elements divided into two concave lenses and arranged opposite to the original position The adapter lens is attached to the tip of the objective lens.
[0006]
Further, the stereoscopic endoscope system of the present invention includes a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel to bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the tip opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. And a pair of decentered lens portions corresponding to the pair of optical elements, each of which is formed by dividing one concave lens into two and opposite to the original position. Binocular parallax in parallel on the same screen based on a video signal in which the endoscope mounted on the tip of the objective lens and the left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax imaged by the endoscope are arranged in parallel And a display device that displays left and right eye observation images, and the right and left eye observation images can be observed separately by the left and right eyes, and a stereoscopic image can be observed. It is a feature.
[0007]
Another stereoscopic endoscope system according to the present invention is a pair of parallel-arranged units that bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the tip opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. Binocular parallax image imaging consisting of a pair of decentered lens parts corresponding to the pair of optical elements divided into two concave lenses and arranged opposite to the original position On both display screens based on video signals in which the endoscope with the adapter lens attached to the tip of the objective lens and the left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax captured by the endoscope are arranged in parallel A pair of display devices that display left and right eye observation images with an eye parallax, and the left and right eye observation images displayed on the pair of display devices are separately observed with the left and right eyes to form a stereoscopic image. It is characterized by being observable .
[0008]
The present invention comprises a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel that bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the front end opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other, and the pair of optical elements Mounted on the tip of the objective lens is an adapter lens consisting of a pair of decentered lens elements corresponding to the element in which the pair of optical elements is divided into two concave lenses and arranged opposite to the original position. Thus, binocular parallax images can be taken in parallel using one conventional conventional endoscope without increasing the diameter of the objective lens, and it is easy to use a conventional endoscope. A binocular parallax image can be captured at low cost and used for observation.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a binocular parallax image capturing adapter lens and a stereoscopic image capturing / observing system using the same according to the present invention will be described below.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view including an optical axis showing a state of image formation in a state in which an adapter lens for binocular parallax image capturing according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted and in a non-mounted state. As shown in FIG. 1B, for example, in an imaging apparatus such as a video camera, an image I of an object O is, for example, a CCD or the like through an objective lens 10 in which an imaging lens 1 is mounted on a lens barrel 3 together with an aperture 2. The image of the subject O is picked up as an inverted real image. At this time, the object lens 10 is focused by adjusting the movement of the objective lens 10 in the optical axis direction.
[0011]
In an image pickup apparatus including such an objective lens 10, as shown in FIG. 1A, for example, two eccentric lens portions 5R and 5L formed by dividing one concave lens into two parts are opposite to the original positions. An adapter lens 11 is prepared in which the left and right are interchanged and fixed in the lens barrel 6. That is, the right decentered lens portion 5R in the lens barrel 6 corresponds to the left half of the original concave lens, and the left decentered lens portion 5L corresponds to the right half of the original concave lens. Accordingly, the optical axes of the left and right lens portions 5L and 5R of FIG. Such an adapter lens 11 is mounted in front of the objective lens 10 of the imaging apparatus, and the right eccentric lens portion 5R of the adapter lens 11 is on the right side of the objective lens 10 and the left eccentric lens portion 5L is on the left side of the objective lens 10. When the objective lens 10 is moved and adjusted in the optical axis direction to adjust the focus, the left decentration of the adapter lens 11 is placed on the right half of the image sensor 4 as shown in FIG. The left-eye observation image IL of the subject O is formed through the lens portion 5L and the objective lens 10, and the right eccentric lens portion 5R of the adapter lens 11 and the objective lens 10 are formed on the left half of the imaging device 4. A right eye observation image IR of the subject O is formed.
[0012]
As described above, the two observation images IL and IR are formed in parallel on the image pickup device 4 because the two lens portions 5L and 5R that are eccentric to each other are arranged in the adapter lens 11. The optical axis AL of the optical system composed of the decentered lens portion 5L and the objective lens 10 and the optical axis AR of the optical system composed of the right decentered lens portion 5R and the objective lens 10 form an angle with each other and the position of the adapter lens 11 The entrance pupil of the optical system composed of the left decentered lens portion 5L and the objective lens 10 is shifted to the left side, and the entrance pupil of the optical system composed of the right decentered lens portion 5R and the objective lens 10 is shifted to the right side. As a result, the observation image IL formed on the image sensor 4 is an image picked up through the entrance pupil that is shifted to the left side, and the observation image IR is an image picked up through the entrance pupil that is shifted to the right side. The image having a binocular parallax to the same cross as in looking image. Note that the left eye observation image IL is formed on the right half of the image pickup device 4 and the right eye observation image IR is formed on the left half of the image pickup device 4, but both are inverted real images. As shown, when viewed as an erect real image, the left and right eye observation images IL and IR are imaged as images arranged side by side. FIG. 2 shows a fluoroscopic image viewed through the image sensor 4.
[0013]
The images IL and IR captured in parallel on the same screen as described above can be displayed in parallel on the same display surface, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and can be observed as a stereoscopic image with both eyes. FIG. 3 is a view showing a video camera 20 capable of shooting a video by attaching the adapter lens 11 as described above to the tip of the objective lens 10, and in this way, left and right parallax images are arranged in each scene. The captured video is recorded in a recording medium 22 such as a video tape mounted in the video camera 20 and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 21 simultaneously or later as a reproduced image. On the screen, as shown in the figure, a left eye observation image IL and a right eye observation image IR are displayed side by side.
[0014]
When the left-eye observation image IL having the parallax and the right-eye observation image IR are arranged in parallel, a stereoscopic image can be observed even with the naked eye, but the stereoscopic observation auxiliary tool 30 as illustrated is placed on the liquid crystal monitor 21. A stereoscopic image can be observed by wearing and placing both eyes on the left and right eyepieces 31L and 31R.
[0015]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the stereoscopic observation auxiliary tool 30 includes eyepieces 31L and 31R made of decentered convex lenses and a shielding plate 32 that separates the left and right optical paths. In 31R, the left and right eyes EL and ER are appropriately bent to align the left eye observation image IL and the right eye observation image IR to facilitate fusion, and to clearly view these observation images IL and IR. A decentered convex lens is used in order to expand the distance.
[0016]
By the way, in the imaging apparatus as described above, the left and right eye observation images IR with binocular parallax are imaged side by side on the same screen by the single image sensor 4 and are displayed side by side on the same display device 21. However, it is also possible to divide the video signal into left and right images and display them on separate display devices.
[0017]
FIG. 5 shows a stereoscopic endoscope system in which the adapter lens 11 of the present invention is attached to the tip of the objective lens 10 of the endoscope 40 and can be observed simultaneously with video shooting. In this embodiment, the adapter lens 11 including the concave lens portions 5L and 5R that are eccentrically arranged with the optical axes shifted from each other is attached to the tip of the objective lens 10 of the electronic endoscope 40. An endoscope image in which the left eye observation image IL and the right eye observation image IR are arranged in parallel is picked up, and the image signal is divided by the image signal processing device 41 to which the endoscope 40 is attached, respectively. The left and right eyes are separately displayed on the left and right display elements 51L and 51R of the glasses-type image display device 50, and the eyepiece optical systems 52L and 52R adjust the line of sight while adjusting the diopter attached to the display elements 51L and 51R. The endoscope 40 can be observed, and the endoscope 40 is inserted into the body or the like so that an image inside the endoscope 40 can be stereoscopically observed in real time.
[0018]
Of course, the binocular parallax image capturing adapter lens 11 of the present invention is not limited to the video camera and electronic endoscope described above, but can be used for a microscope equipped with an image capturing apparatus.
[0019]
The optical elements arranged on the left and right of the binocular parallax imaging adapter lens 11 are not limited to the decentered concave lens part obtained by dividing the concave lens, and two declination prisms that act to bend the optical axis have two declination directions. They may be arranged in reverse, or a convex lens divided into two may be used.
[0020]
The binocular parallax imaging adapter lens of the present invention and the stereoscopic image capturing / observation system using the same have been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be variously modified. It is.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the stereoscopic endoscope and the stereoscopic endoscope system of the present invention, the optical axis passing through the left half of the tip opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half are mutually angled. It is composed of a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel to be bent, and the pair of optical elements is arranged so that the pair of optical elements divides one concave lens into two parts and is opposite to the original position. Binocular parallax image using a conventional single endoscope without increasing the diameter of the objective lens, simply by attaching an adapter lens consisting of a pair of decentered lens parts corresponding to the one at the tip of the objective lens Can be imaged in parallel, and a binocular parallax image can be easily and inexpensively captured using a conventional endoscope for observation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing states of imaging in a state where a binocular parallax image capturing adapter lens according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted and a state where the adapter lens is not mounted. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which left and right eye observation images on an image sensor are captured as images arranged side by side.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a video camera capable of shooting a video by attaching the adapter lens of one embodiment according to the present invention to the tip of the objective lens;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a stereoscopic observation aid.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a stereoscopic endoscope system according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
O ... Subject I ... Image IL ... Left eye observation image IR ... Right eye observation image AL ... Left optical system optical axis AR ... Right optical system optical axis EL ... Left eye ER ... Right eye 1 ... imaging lens 2 ... diaphragm 3 ... lens barrel 4 ... imaging elements 5L, 5R ... decentered concave lens portion 6 ... lens barrel 10 ... objective lens 11 ... adapter lens 20 for binocular parallax image imaging ... video camera 21 ... liquid crystal monitor 22 ... recording medium 30 ... three-dimensional Observation aids 31L, 31R ... eyepiece 32 ... shielding plate 40 ... electronic endoscope 41 ... video signal processing device 50 ... glasses-type video display devices 51L, 51R ... display elements 52L, 52R ... eyepiece optical system

Claims (3)

It consists of a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel that bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the front end opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. The concave lens is divided into two, and a binocular parallax image capturing adapter lens consisting of a pair of decentered lens portions corresponding to those arranged to be opposite to the original position is attached to the tip of the objective lens. Stereoscope. It consists of a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel that bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the front end opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. An endoscope having a binocular parallax imaging adapter lens composed of a pair of decentered lens parts corresponding to those arranged in two so as to be opposite to the original position; Display device for displaying left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax in parallel on the same screen based on a video signal in which left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax imaged by the endoscope are arranged in parallel A stereoscopic endoscope system characterized in that a stereoscopic image can be observed using a stereoscopic observation means that enables the left and right eye observation images to be separately observed by the left and right eyes. It consists of a pair of optical elements arranged in parallel that bend the optical axis passing through the left half of the front end opening of the objective lens and the optical axis passing through the right half so as to form an angle with each other. An endoscope having a binocular parallax imaging adapter lens composed of a pair of decentered lens parts corresponding to those arranged in two so as to be opposite to the original position; A pair of displays for displaying left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax on separate display screens based on video signals obtained by paralleling left and right eye observation images with binocular parallax imaged by the endoscope A stereoscopic endoscope system characterized in that a stereoscopic image can be observed by separately observing the left and right eye observation images displayed on the pair of display devices with the left and right eyes.

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