WO1997027798A1 - Endoscope stereoscopique - Google Patents

Endoscope stereoscopique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1997027798A1
WO1997027798A1 PCT/US1997/001372 US9701372W WO9727798A1 WO 1997027798 A1 WO1997027798 A1 WO 1997027798A1 US 9701372 W US9701372 W US 9701372W WO 9727798 A1 WO9727798 A1 WO 9727798A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
image
polarizing
stereoscopic
stereoscopic imaging
imaging system
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1997/001372
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Dennis C. Leiner
Thomas J. Brukilacchio
Original Assignee
Heartport, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Heartport, Inc. filed Critical Heartport, Inc.
Priority to AU22484/97A priority Critical patent/AU2248497A/en
Publication of WO1997027798A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997027798A1/fr

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
    • A61B1/00163—Optical arrangements
    • A61B1/00193—Optical arrangements adapted for stereoscopic vision
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
    • A61B1/00163—Optical arrangements
    • A61B1/00194—Optical arrangements adapted for three-dimensional imaging
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
    • H04N13/204—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras
    • H04N13/239—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
    • H04N13/296—Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/10—Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
    • H04N13/194—Transmission of image signals
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/30—Image reproducers
    • H04N13/332—Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD]
    • H04N13/341—Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD] using temporal multiplexing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/30—Image reproducers
    • H04N13/398—Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to endoscopes for medical or industrial applications . More particularly, the invention relates to a stereo endoscope with greater stereo parallax for improved three-dimensional perception.
  • Endoscopes or horoscopes are well known in medical and industrial applications where it is necessary to view an internal structure of a body or a machine through a small insertion passage.
  • Common types of endoscopes include flexible fiberoptic endoscopes and rigid endoscopes.
  • these endoscopes provide only monocular or two- dimensional vision which is sufficient for most diagnostic or simple surgical procedures .
  • stereo or binocular vision which provides three-dimensional perception to the viewer. It has been shown that three-dimensional perception improves the accuracy and speed of surgical procedures performed under endoscopic visualization.
  • J. J. Jakimowicz, M.D., Ph.D. conducted a preliminary study of this phenomenon using 13 cases.
  • a variety of procedures were performed involving intricate suturing, adhesion removal, and dissection.
  • His data suggest that endoscopic surgical procedures performed using three-dimensional imaging yielded a time savings of 36% on average, compared with that of procedures performed using conventional two-dimensional endoscopy.
  • These data indicate the possibility that three- dimensional endoscopic imaging can increase a surgeon's efficiency in the operating room.
  • Dr. Jakimowicz has also made comments that the inexperienced surgeon seemed to benefit most from three-dimensional imaging endoscopy while proceeding through the learning curve of a particular procedure.
  • U.S. patent 5,381,784 granted Jan. 17, 1995 to Adair, describes a camera-based Stereoscopic Endoscope with a pair of charge coupled devices or CCDs mounted side-by- side on the distal end of an elongated cylindrical barrel .
  • one of the CCDs is mounted on a hinged end cap which pivots away from the cylindrical barrel to increase the parallax angle between the two CCDs for three- dimensional imaging without increasing the size of the passage needed to introduce the endoscope.
  • Each CCD captures a two- dimensional image. The two two-dimensional images are combined on a video display monitor by alternating the left and right images on the video screen.
  • the video display monitor is viewed using special glasses with liquid crystal shutters that operate in timing with the video display such that the left eye views the left image and the right eye views the right image so that the brain perceives a three- dimensional view.
  • a control unit for producing the three- dimensional image on the video display monitor is described in U.S. patent 4,862,873.
  • U.S. patent 5,305,121, granted Apr. 19, 1994 to Moll, for a Stereoscopic Endoscope System describes another approach to video-based three-dimensional endoscopic imaging. Two solid state cameras reside in tandem within a cannula for insertion into the body.
  • the solid state cameras are extended from the distal end of the cannula so that they spread apart to provide a stereo image with greater parallax.
  • the three-dimensional image is viewed on a special video display monitor similar to the one described above.
  • the left and right images are separated by a central reflecting prism and directed toward the eyepieces by left and right reflecting prisms which allow for adjustment of interpupilary distance.
  • This approach provides separate optical paths for the left and right images, simplifying the task of separating the images at the proximal end of the endoscope.
  • this approach has the disadvantage of additional complexity and expense due to having two separate optical paths within the barrel.
  • the pupil size of each optical path is necessarily very small which limits the amount of light transmission possible through the scope.
  • This approach provides a limited amount of optical separation or parallax between the left and right images for three dimensional perception. Typically, in a 10 mm stereo endoscope of this type there is approximately 4 mm of optical separation.
  • the endoscope only has one objective lens for both the left and right images, the amount of parallax provided and therefore the amount of depth perception possible is quite limited. Typically, in a 10 mm stereo endoscope of this type there is approximately 2 mm of optical separation between the left and right objectives. Because the images are transmitted off-axis through the relay section of the endoscope, the range of ray angles that can be transmitted is limited, therefore light throughput is reduced. The off-axis image transmission through the objective and the relay section also contributes to image distortion, astigmatism and coma because of problems inherent in transmitting an image through the edges of a lens. Another approach that is less related to the present invention uses fiberoptics for direct stereoscopic imaging in an endoscope. U.S.
  • a Stereoscopic Endoscope uses a pair of flexible fiberoptic imaging bundles side-by-side to produce binocular imaging in a flexible endoscope.
  • U.S. patent 4,593,682, granted June 10, 1986 to Heckele, for an Endoscope discloses another variation on this theme.
  • a pair of flexible fiberoptic imaging bundles are divided into a proximal section and a distal section. The distal section of the imaging bundles is encased in a rigid tube to create a directable rigid endoscope.
  • the proximal section of the imaging bundles extend from the rigid portion to a pair of eyepieces, acting as a flexible extension so that the user can hold his or her head in a natural position regardless of the position of the rigid endoscope.
  • Hard optics are preferable to flexible fiberoptic imaging bundles in applications requiring high image resolution because the finite size of the fibers within the bundle cause pixelation of the image with a concomitant loss of resolution similar to the video-based imaging systems previously discussed.
  • the present invention takes the form of a stereoscopic endoscope having two objective lens elements at the distal end of an elongated probe to create a left and a right image.
  • a polarizing element Positioned in series with each objective lens element is a polarizing element, preferably located immediately proximal to the objective lens element.
  • the polarizing elements are oriented such that their principle axes are perpendicular to one another.
  • the left and right images are polarized perpendicular to one another in the objective section of the endoscope.
  • the left and right images are then combined with one another along a common optical path in the remainder of the objective section and through the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • a pair of rhombic prisms may be used to laterally translate the image from each of the distal objective elements and direct them through the common portion of the objective section and into the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • a cube-shaped polarizing beam-splitting prism can be used to polarize and combine the left and right image beams and direct them through the common portion of the objective section and into the image relay section.
  • the images are combined along a central axis of the image relay section so as to maximize light transmission and minimize problems of distortion, astigmatism and coma due to off-axis image transmission.
  • the length of the relay section and therefore the number of optical relays within it is chosen according to the surgical procedure for which it will be used.
  • the relay section of the endoscope has a length of 6 to 20 cm, requiring only two optical relays. In another preferred embodiment for use in laparoscopy, the relay section of the endoscope has a length of 15 to 45 cm, which can be accomplished with 2-10 optical relays.
  • a decoupling- beamsplitting section Proximal to the relay section is a decoupling- beamsplitting section which decouples the left and right images and directs them toward the left and right eyepieces in the ocular section.
  • the decoupling of the left and right images is accomplished using a polarizing beamsplitter which separates the two images based on the orthogonal polarization imparted by the objective section.
  • a polarizing beamsplitter Three variations of the polarizing beamsplitter are presented. In a first variant, a cube-shaped polarizing beam- splitting prism with a dielectric reflecting layer is used to separate the two orthogonally polarized images.
  • a birefringent polarizing prism for example a Wollaston prism or, alternatively a Thompson prism, is used to separate the two orthogonally polarized images.
  • the third variant is a compound bea splitting polarizer in which a pupil-splitting reflector, utilizing either a prism or mirrors, separates the combined images from the relay section into two beams, then a pair of orthogonally oriented polarizers filter the beams to separate out the left and right image components before transmitting them to the ocular section.
  • an image of an aperture stop positioned proximal to the two distal objective elements is focused within the image decoupling section.
  • the image decoupling section uses a scraper mirror positioned at a 45 degree angle across half of the combined image beam to reflect one of the images and let the other image pass by.
  • the other image is reflected by a second mirror positioned at a 45 degree angle behind the scraper mirror. After they have been separated, the left and right images are directed toward the left and right oculars by a pair of relay mirrors.
  • the ocular section of the endoscope uses reflective surfaces to direct the left and right images from the decoupling-beamsplitting section to the left and right eyepieces, respectively.
  • the reflective surfaces may be provided by mirrors or by prisms, for instance a pair of rhombic prisms.
  • Means are provided for adjusting the interpupilary distance between the two eyepieces. If mirrors or individual prisms are used, the interpupilary distance can be adjusted by changing the distance between the outboard reflectors which are aligned with the eyepieces. If rhombic prisms are used, the interpupilary distance is adjusted by changing the angulation of the rhombic prisms.
  • An optical hinge section allows relative movement between the ocular section and the distal portion of the stereoscopic endoscope which includes the objective section and the relay section.
  • a zoom magnification function can be incorporated into the ocular section of the endoscope.
  • the stereoscopic endoscope may also be made with an integral fiberoptic illumination device or it may be used with a separate illumination device.
  • Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope configured for thoracoscopic use.
  • Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope configured for general endoscopic use.
  • Fig. 3 is a detail drawing of a first embodiment of the objective and image coupling section of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • Fig. 4 is an end view of the objective section of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • Fig. 5 is a detail drawing of a second embodiment of the objective and image coupling section of the stereoscopic endoscope .
  • Fig. 6 is a detail drawing of a first embodiment of the image decoupling-beamsplitting section of the stereoscopic endoscope using a cube-shaped polarizing beam-splitting prism.
  • Fig. 7 is a detail drawing of a second embodiment of the image decoupling-beamsplitting section of the stereoscopic endoscope using a Wollaston birefringent polarizing prism.
  • Fig. 8 is a detail drawing of a third embodiment of the image decoupling-beamsplitting section of the stereoscopic endoscope using a compound beamsplitter/polarizer.
  • Fig. 9 is a detail drawing of an alternate embodiment of the ocular section of the stereoscopic endoscope integrated with the image decoupling-beamsplitting section of Fig. 8 and an interpupilary adjustment mechanism.
  • Fig. 10 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope using a scraper mirror for separating the left and right images in the image decoupling section of the endoscope.
  • Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of the objective and image coupling section of the stereoscopic endoscope Fig. 10.
  • Fig. 12 shows a cross section view of the objective and image coupling section of the endoscope taken along line 12-12 in Fig. 11.
  • Fig. 13 shows a cross section view of the image decoupling section of the endoscope taken along line 13-13 in Fig. 10.
  • the key elements of the stereoscopic endoscope of the present invention include: 1) an objective section having two separate objective elements and means for directing the images from the two objective elements along a common optical path, 2) a common optical path through most of the length of the endoscope, and 3) a means for separating the two images and directing them to a left and right ocular element .
  • the design of the objective section with two- separate objective elements allows lateral separation of the objective elements for increased stereo parallax for greater depth perception in the stereoscopic image.
  • the means for directing the images along a common optical path makes it possible to use a single relay section for transmitting both images through the endoscope without sacrificing stereo parallax.
  • the images may be transmitted side-by-side or overlapping one another close to the central axis of the relay section.
  • Using a single relay section allows a lower manufacturing cost than stereo endoscopes using two separate relay sections in parallel. Transmitting the two images close to the central axis of the relay section allows greater light throughput for the endoscope, as well as, lower image distortion.
  • the ability to separate the two images proximal to the relay section so that the images can be sent to the left and right ocular elements is also a key element in enabling the use of a common optical path throughout most of the scope.
  • Various endoscope configurations can be made using these key elements to achieve the primary objectives of a stereoscopic image with improved stereo parallax and lower distortion.
  • Other components such as an optical hinge, magnification optics, zoom magnification optics or dual observer mechanism can be added to the endoscope to achieve secondary objectives.
  • Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 of the present invention.
  • the distal end 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 has an objective and image coupling section 50.
  • An image relay section 52 connects the objective and image coupling section 50 to the optical hinge section 54 which, in turn, is connected to the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40.
  • An ocular section 58 with two eyepieces 60, 62 is located on the proximal end 44 of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • Each section of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 is enclosed within an endoscope housing 46.
  • This embodiment .of the stereoscopic endoscope- 40 is specially configured for thoracoscopic use, particularly for thoracoscopic or port-access heart surgery.
  • the distal end 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 including the objective and image coupling section 50 and the relay section 52, is made with a diameter small enough to fit through an intercostal access port between two ribs in a patient's chest to view the heart without cutting, retracting or significantly displacing the ribs.
  • the distal end 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 is made with an outer diameter of approximately 10 to 12 mm or smaller so that the stereoscopic endoscope 40 can be introduced directly through an intercostal access port or through a 10 or 12 mm access cannula placed in the access port.
  • the length of the distal portion 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 can be made so that it is approximately 6 to 20 cm long which is sufficient for viewing the heart within the patient's chest.
  • Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope 140 configured for general endoscopic use, such as for laparoscopic surgery.
  • This embodiment also includes an objective and image coupling section 50, an image relay section 52, an optical hinge section 54, image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 and an ocular section 58 with two eyepieces 60, 62.
  • the distal portion 142 of the stereoscopic endoscope 140 can be made with whatever length and diameter is appropriate to the endoscopic application for which it is intended.
  • the distal portion 142 of the stereoscopic endoscope 140 can be made with length of approximately 15 to 45 cm and a diameter of approximately 10 to 12 mm for introduction through a 10 or 12 mm access cannula.
  • the image relay section 52 may have multiple optical relays 64, as shown.
  • Each section of the stereoscopic endoscopes 40, 140 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will be discussed in greater detail below.
  • Objective and Image Coupling Section A first embodiment of the objective and image coupling section 50 for inclusion in either embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope 40, 140 is shown in a side view in Fig.
  • the objective and image coupling section 50 has two separate objective lens elements 66, 68 at the far distal end of the endoscope spaced apart as far as the maximum dimensions of the distal end 42 of the endoscope will allow to achieve maximum stereo parallax.
  • the objective lens elements 66, 68 preferably are negative power lenses having a negative focal length, such as a plano-concave lens as shown.
  • the objective lens elements 66, 68 may be simple singlet lenses or they may be compound doublet or triplet lens sets to reduce chromatic aberration.
  • the objective lens elements 66, 68 are chosen to provide a field of view of 60 degrees or more.
  • polarizing element 70, 72 positioned in series with each of the two objective lens elements 66, 68.
  • the polarizing elements 70, 72 are located immediately proximal to the objective lens elements 66, 68.
  • the polarizing elements 70, 72 may be positioned immediately distal to the objective lens element 66, 68, but this is less preferred because it places a greater demand on the acceptance angle requirements of the polarizers.
  • the two polarizers 70, 72, one for each of the two stereo fields of view, must be oriented orthogonal to one another with respect to their linear polarization states.
  • the right image from the right objective lens 70 is polarized in the s-polarization state and the left image from the left objective lens 72 is polarized in the p-polarization state.
  • the polarization states of the left and right images have been nominally chosen for the sake of this detailed description.
  • the polarization states of the left and right images can be reversed as long as similar changes are made in the image decoupling section 56 of the endoscope described below to direct the left and right images to the appropriate eyepieces.
  • Proximal to each of the objective lens/polarizing element pairs 62/70, 68/72 is a rhombic prism 74, 76 for laterally displacing the left and right images toward the central axis 48 of the endoscope.
  • each of the rhombic prisms 74, 76 abuts the planar surface of a plano-convex lens 78.
  • the plano-convex lens 78 is preferably cemented to the two rhombic prisms 74 , 76 in order to reduce reflection losses at the interface.
  • the two rhombic prisms 74, 76 allow greater separation between the two objective lens elements 66, 68 than would otherwise be possible.
  • the stereoscopic endoscope 40, 140 can therefore provide greater parallax for improved depth perception. In a 10 mm stereoscopic endoscope of this type the physical separation of the objective lens elements, measured center-to- center, can be greater than 5 mm.
  • One currently preferred embodiment of the invention provides a 10 mm stereoscopic endoscope with a physical separation between the objective lens elements of approximately 6 mm, resulting in a weighted optical separation of approximately 6.35 mm.
  • Proximal to the plano-convex lens 78 is a lens 80 which focuses the coupled left and right images at infinity and transmits the combined images into the image relay section 52 with an appropriately sized field stop aperture 82 between the proximal end of the objective and image coupling section 50 and the distal end of the image relay section 52 to optimize the focus and the depth of field of the endoscope optical system.
  • the lens 80 may be a simple singlet lens or it may be a compound doublet or triplet lens set to reduce chromatic aberration.
  • the image of the object enters the left and right objective lens elements 66, 68.
  • the left and right images pass through the polarizing elements 70, 72 thereby polarizing the left image with a p-polarized orientation and the right image with an s-polarized orientation.
  • the left and right images are each reflected twice within the rhombic prisms 74, 76 to displace them toward the central axis 48 of the endoscope and to maintain proper image reversion.
  • Fig. 5 shows a side view of a second embodiment of the objective and image coupling section 100 of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • This embodiment has two separate objective lens elements 102, 104 at the far distal end of the endoscope spaced apart as far as the maximum dimensions of the distal end of the endoscope will allow to achieve maximum stereo parallax.
  • the objective lens elements 102, 104 preferably are negative power lenses having a negative focal length, such as a plano-concave lens as shown.
  • the objective lens elements 102, 104 may be simple singlet lenses or they may be compound doublet or triplet lens sets to reduce chromatic aberration.
  • the images from the left and right objective lens elements 102, 104 are combined along a common path within the objective and image coupling section 100 before they enter the image relay section which is proximal to the objective and image coupling section 100.
  • the objective and image coupling section 100 includes a trapezoidal prism 106 positioned behind the right objective lens 102.
  • the proximal end of the prism has a totally reflective surface 108 at a 45 degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope.
  • the reflective surface 108 may be a polished glass surface which reflects by total internal reflection or the reflective surface 108 may be treated with a reflective metallic coating or with a multilayer dielectric reflective coating.
  • the objective and image coupling section 100 also includes a rhombic prism 110 positioned behind the left objective lens 104.
  • the proximal end of the rhombic prism 110 is positioned against or cemented to the distal surface of a broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112.
  • the proximal surface of the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112 is cemented to the planar surface of a plano-convex lens 116 which is aligned with the. central axis of the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112 has a multilayer dielectric reflecting surface 114 positioned at a 45 degree angle within the cube 112, which is equivalent to Brewster's angle for the refractive indices of the dielectric materials.
  • a proximal side surface of the trapezoidal prism 106 on the right side of the endoscope abuts a side surface of the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112.
  • the image of the object enters the right and left objective lens elements 102, 104.
  • the right image from the right objective lens 102 passes through the trapezoidal prism 106 and is reflected at a right angle by the reflective proximal surface 108.
  • the right image enters the side surface of the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112.
  • the s-polarized component of the right image is reflected at a right angle by the multilayer dielectric reflective surface 114 within the cube 112 and enters the plano-convex lens 116 which directs the image to the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • the p-polarized component of the right image passes through the multilayer dielectric reflective surface 114 of the cube 112 unreflected so that it does not enter the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • the left image from the left objective lens 104 passes into the rhombic prism 110 and is reflected twice within the rhombic prism 110 to displace the image laterally.
  • the left image enters the distal surface of the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 112.
  • the p-polarized component of the left image passes through the multilayer dielectric reflective surface 114 of the cube 112 unreflected and enters the plano-convex lens 116 which directs the image to the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • the s-polarized component of the left image is reflected at a right angle by the multilayer dielectric reflective surface 114 within the cube 112 so that it does not enter the image relay section of the endoscope.
  • the result of this is that the left and right images from the left and right objective lens elements 104, 102 have been combined along a common central path within the relay section of the endoscope.
  • the left image that enters the image relay section has been s-polarized and the right image that enters the image relay section has been p-polarized.
  • the optical path lengths and the number of reflections for the left and right images have been equalized within the objective and image coupling section 100.
  • the image relay section 52 receives the combined, orthogonally polarized left and right images from the objective and image coupling section 50 and transfers the images proximally to the optical hinge section 54 which, in turn, transfers the images to the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56.
  • the image relay section 52 of the stereoscopic endoscope is largely conventional in that it is made up of one or more optical relays 64, each having two rod lenses 84 with focusing lens elements 88, 86 on the proximal and distal ends of each rod lens 84.
  • the image relay section 52 has an even number of optical relays 64, typically 0, 2 or 4 optical relays 64, in order to have the correct number of image inversions to result in true stereoscopic depth perception at the ocular section 358.
  • optical relays 64 typically 0, 2 or 4 optical relays 64
  • it differs from prior art stereoscopic image relay systems in that it is specifically designed to work cooperatively with the objective and image coupling section 50 so that both the left and right images are transmitted along a common path through the relay section 52 as close as possible to the central axis 48 of the lenses within the relay section 52.
  • This on-axis image relay system 52 has a number of advantages that are not found in the prior art off-axis relay systems.
  • the on-axis image relay system 52 has greater throughput of light as compared to off-axis relay systems.
  • Off-axis image relay systems as in the prior art, limit the ray angles that can pass through the relay due to the requirement of passing two distinct off-axis image bundles and therefore can suffer from as much as a factor of four loss in image intensity.
  • the on-axis image relay system 52 results in lower image distortion because the image passes through the central portion of the lenses close to the central axis 48. Transmitting the images through the outer edges of the lenses in an off-axis relay system inherently results in image distortion due to astigmatism and coma from the outer edges of the lenses.
  • the stereoscopic endoscope 40 can be shortened by constructing the image relay section 52 with fewer optical relays 64 or with shorter rod lenses 84 in each of the optical relays 64, as shown in Fig. 1. This is sufficient to transfer the image along the desired length of the distal portion 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 which is 6 to 20 cm long.
  • multiple optical relays 64 and/or longer rod lenses 84 can be used in the image relay section
  • the optical hinge section 54 is an optional section of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 (or 140) which allows the proximal portion of the endoscope 44, including the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 and the ocular section 58, to be maneuvered and reoriented with respect to the distal portion 42 which includes the relay section 52 and the objective and image coupling section 50.
  • the optical hinge section 56 allows the ocular section 58 to be positioned at a comfortable and convenient angle for the surgeon without moving the distal end 42 of the stereoscopic endoscope 40. This aspect of the stereoscopic endoscope 40 may be most important for long and complex surgical procedures where discomfort and fatigue can be exacerbated by incorrect scope positioning.
  • the optical hinge section 54 includes four mirror surfaces or prisms 92, 94, 96, 98 along with collimating optics 90 located proximal to the relay section 52.
  • the collimating optics 90 reduce the divergence of the combined image beam before it enters the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 of the endoscope.
  • the optical hinge section 54 can allow for articulation through at least 180 degrees to allow for optimal viewing orientation.
  • the optical hinge section 54 functions by the counter rotation of two sets without image rotation.
  • the optical hinge section 54 Due to the high degree of mechanical complexity of the optical hinge section 54, it may not be desirable to include this feature in all embodiments of the stereoscopic endoscope 40, especially in applications where scope position is less critical and/or where cost of the scope is an important factor. In such cases, the optical hinge section 54 can be omitted leaving only the collimating optics 90. If desired, the optical hinge section 54 may be replaced with a straight section or with a fixed-angle mirror system to approximate the most convenient articulation angle and facilitate use.
  • the two orthogonally polarized fields of view are physically separated by the use of a broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120.
  • the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 is comprised of two right angle prisms 122, 124 that form a cube 120 when cemented together.
  • the angled interface between the two prisms 122, 124 is coated with a multi-layer dielectric thin film 126 which is designed to transmit the p-polarized light and reflect the s-polarized light over the entire visible spectrum.
  • the reflective multi-layer dielectric thin film 126 is positioned at a 45 degree angle within the cube 120, which is equivalent to Brewster's angle for the refractive indices of the dielectric materials in the film.
  • Broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter prisms such as this are commercially available in a range of sizes. Because the efficient separation of the p-polarized light and the s-polarized light by the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 depends on the incoming beam striking the reflective multi-layer dielectric thin film 126 at or close to Brewster's angle, the typical acceptance angle of the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 is +/- 2 degrees from the central axis 128 of the beamsplitter cube 120.
  • the collimating optics 90 of the optical hinge section 54 should collimate the image beams to within +/- 2 degrees from the central axis 128 of beamsplitter cube 120. If the stereo endoscope 40 is made without the optional optical hinge section 54, then collimating optics should be provided in the image relay section 52 or image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 if this type of broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 is used.
  • the transmitted p-polarized light passes into a rhombic prism 134 which displaces the p-polarized image beam laterally and directs it through a focusing lens 138 and into the ocular section 58 of the stereo endoscope 40.
  • the reflected s-polarized light from the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 passes into a prism 130, which forms a rhombic prism 122/130 in combination with the first half 122 of the beamsplitter cube 120.
  • the s-polarized light is reflected at a right angle by the prism 130 and then it passes through a length of glass 132 which acts to equalize the optical path length between the left and right optical paths within the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56.
  • This compensation is required because the p-polarized light passes through its own rhombic prism 134 in addition to passing through the beamsplitter cube 120.
  • the left and right optical paths have the same optical path length and the same number of reflections within the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 so that they have the same magnification and orientation when they enter the ocular section 58.
  • the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 thus serves to separate the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image that the objective and image coupling section 50 had previously combined along a common path through the image relay section 52.
  • the image coupling and decoupling steps within the stereo endoscope allows each stage of the optical system to operate at maximum performance, thereby avoiding many of the performance compromises inherent in the optical systems of prior art devices.
  • Rhombic prism 134 is rotatable about a pivot point coincident with the common optical axis 128 to allow for adjustment of the interpupilary distance between the left and right ocular lenses 62, 60.
  • Fig. 7 is a detail drawing of a second embodiment of the decoupling-beamsplitting section 150 of the stereoscopic endoscope using a Wollaston prism polarizer 156.
  • a Wollaston prism polarizer 156 is an optical element made from two birefringent prisms 152, 154 cemented together with their optical axes perpendicular to each other.
  • the birefringent prisms of the Wollaston prism polarizer 156 are commonly made from birefringent materials, such as calcite, quartz, magnesium fluoride, or lithium niobate, which have a different index of refraction for light of different polarization states.
  • the Wollaston prism polarizer 156 is used to separate the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image that the objective and image coupling section 50 had previously combined along a common path through the image relay section 52.
  • the change of index of refraction at the interface 158 between the birefringent prisms 152, 154 deviates the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image in opposite directions.
  • the decoupling-beamsplitting section 150 using a Wollaston prism polarizer 156 with calcite birefringent prisms 152, 154 the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image are deviated with an angular separation of approximately 20 degrees.
  • An angular separation of 5, 10 or 15 degrees can also be achieved using commercially available two element Wollaston prism polarizers.
  • Increased angular separations of 20, 25 or 30 degrees can be achieved using commercially available three element Wollaston prism polarizers.
  • the Wollaston prism polarizer 156 has a wider acceptance angle for incoming rays than the broadband polarizing cube beamsplitter 120 of Fig. 6, obviating the need for the collimating optics 90 shown in the optical hinge section 54.
  • the embodiment of the decoupling-beamsplitting section 150 shown in Fig. 7 fits into the stereoscopic endoscope of Figs. 1 or 2 in place of the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 shown.
  • the combined s-polarized right image and p- polarized left image enter the Wollaston prism polarizer 156 of the decoupling-beamsplitting section 150 from the image relay section 52 or the optional optical hinge section 54 of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • the s-polarized right image is deviated toward the right and the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image is deviated toward the left by approximately symmetrical angles.
  • One or more focusing lenses 160, 162, 164 focus the right image and the left image before transmitting the images to the ocular section 58 of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • the focusing optics can be common to both optical paths, like lens 160, or separate focusing lenses, like lenses 162 and 164, can be used for the right and left optical paths beyond the point where the images are specially separated, or a combination of common and separate optics can be used as shown.
  • the s-polarized right image has a slightly longer optical path length than the p-polarized left image as it passes through the Wollaston prism polarizer 156, resulting in slightly higher magnification for the right image. This can be compensated for by increasing the magnification of the focusing lens 164 of the left image path with respect to the focusing lens 162 for the right image path.
  • a piece of glass (not shown), can be placed in the left image path to increase the optical path length and therefore the magnification.
  • a Ronchon prism polarizer or an air-spaced Senarmont prism polarizer or similar optical devices can be used to separate the s-polarized right image and the p-polarized left image.
  • These prism polarizers have the disadvantage that the deviation of the s-polarized light and the p-polarized light is not symmetrical, therefore the optical train must be modified to compensate for the asymmetry.
  • a Glan-Thompson beamsplitting prism polarizer or equivalent device can be also used in place of the Wollaston prism polarizer 156 of Fig. 7.
  • the optical train must be modified to compensate not only for the asymmetry, but also for the fact that one of the image beams is reflected at the interface between the prisms that make up the prism polarizer thereby reversing the image in that image path.
  • Fig. 8 is a detail drawing of a third embodiment of the image decoupling-beamsplitting section of the stereoscopic endoscope using a compound beamsplitter/polarizer 170.
  • This embodiment of the image decoupling-beamsplitting section fits into the stereoscopic endoscope of Figs. 1 or 2 in place of the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 shown.
  • the compound beamsplitter/polarizer 170 is made up of a reflective beamsplitter 172 and two polarizing elements 174, 176.
  • the reflective beamsplitter 172 has a first reflective surface 178 and a second reflective surface 180.
  • the reflective beamsplitter 172 is aligned with the axis of the image relay section 52 (or the optional optical hinge section 54) of the stereoscopic endoscope so that the image beam which contains the combined s-polarized right image and p-polarized left image is split into two separate beams, each of which contains some of the s-polarized and p-polarized components.
  • a third reflective surface 182 is positioned parallel to the first reflective surface 178 to redirect- the left beam proximally toward the left ocular 62 and a fourth reflective surface 184 is positioned parallel to the second reflective surface 180 to redirect the right beam proximally toward the right ocular 60.
  • a first polarizing element 174 is positioned somewhere along the image path of the left beam.
  • Alternate positions along the image path of the left beam for the first polarizing element 174 are shown in phantom lines 174' and 174'' .
  • the first polarizing element 174 is oriented to filter out the s-polarized component, leaving only the p- polarized left image, which passes through to the left ocular lens 62.
  • a second polarizing element 176 is positioned somewhere along the image path of the right beam. Alternate positions along the image path of the right beam for the second polarizing element 176 are shown in phantom lines 176' and 176'' .
  • the second polarizing element 176 is oriented orthogonally to the first polarizing element 174 to filter out the p-polarized component, leaving only the s-polarized right image, which passes through to the right ocular lens 60.
  • the first reflective surface 178 and the third reflective surface 182 can be provided as the first and second ends of a first rhombic prism
  • the second reflective surface 180 and the fourth reflective surface 184 can be provided as the first and second ends of a second rhombic prism.
  • the first and second polarizing elements 174, 176 can be provided as separate elements or they can be integrated into the pris (s) or reflective surfaces of the compound beamsplitter/polarizer 170.
  • the compound beamsplitter/polarizer 170 first separates the combined image beam into left and right beams, then polarizes the right and left beams to separate out the s- polarized right image and the p-polarized left image. This is in contrast to the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7 where the steps of polarizing and beamsplitting are performed simultaneously by actually using the polarization states of the right and left images to accomplish the beamsplitting. Separating the beam splitting and polarization functions. allows the optical system to be built with simpler, lower cost components, but there is a sacrifice of image intensity, which drops by a factor of 2 as a result of splitting the image pupil in two.
  • the ocular section 58 of the stereoscopic endoscope of Figs. 1 and 2 has two ocular lenses 60, 62 which image the last real internal image to infinity and form a real exit pupil to coincide with the irises of the observers eyes.
  • the apparent field is on the order of 40 degrees.
  • the ocular lenses 60, 62 may be simple singlet lenses or they may be compound doublet or triplet lens sets to reduce chromatic aberration.
  • the ocular lenses 60, 62 may also be Erfle type eyepieces .
  • Fig. 9 shows an alternate embodiment of the ocular section 190 of the stereoscopic microscope.
  • the image decoupling-beamsplitting section 170 of Fig 8 is integrated with an interpupilary adjustment mechanism 192 connected to the ocular lenses 60, 62 of the ocular section 190.
  • Ocular section 190 therefore would replace the image decoupling beamsplitter/interpupilary adjustment section 56 and the ocular section 58 of the stereoscopic microscope of Figs. 1 and 2.
  • a pupil splitting prism 172 is positioned in alignment with the axis of the image relay section 52 (or the optional optical hinge section 54) of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • the pupil splitting prism 172 has a first reflective surface 178 and a second reflective surface 180 which split the combined s-polarized right image and p- polarized left image from the image relay section 52 into two separate beams, each containing some of the s-polarized and p- polarized components.
  • the axial position of the pupil splitting prism 172 is adjustable by means of an adjustment screw 192 which is operated by an adjustment knob 194 on the proximal end of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • a third reflective surface 182 is positioned parallel to the first reflective surface 178 to redirect the left beam proximally toward the left ocular 62 and a fourth reflective surface 184 is positioned parallel to the second reflective surface 180 to redirect the right beam proximally toward the right ocular 60.
  • a first polarizing element 174 is positioned distal to the left ocular lens 62 and a second polarizing element 176 is positioned distal to the right ocular lens 60.
  • the first polarizing element 174 is oriented to filter out the s- polarized component, leaving only the p-polarized left image, which passes through to the left ocular lens 62 and the second polarizing element 176 is oriented orthogonally to the first polarizing element 174 to filter out the p-polarized component, leaving only the s-polarized right image, which passes through to the right ocular lens 60.
  • the third and fourth reflective surfaces 182, 184 which may be provided as either reflective prisms or mirrors, and the left and right ocular lenses 62, 60 are mounted on an interpupilary adjustment screw 196 which is operated by an interpupilary adjustment knob 198.
  • the interpupilary adjustment screw 196 is made with a left hand threaded section 200 and a right hand threaded section 202 so that a clockwise rotation of the interpupilary adjustment screw 196 will move the third and fourth reflective surfaces 182 and the left and right ocular lenses 62, 60 toward one another and a counterclockwise rotation of the interpupilary adjustment screw 196 will move them apart in a symmetrical fashion.
  • the stereoscopic endoscope 40, 140 of Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with an integral fiberoptic illumination system.
  • An optical connector 214 is mounted on the housing 46 of the stereoscopic endoscope proximal to the image relay section 52. Multiple optical fibers are arranged within the image relay section 52 so that the pass through the annular space 210 between the optical relays 64 and the housing 46.
  • the optical fibers 216 can either be arranged around the distal periphery of the endoscope or they can arranged within the space 212 between the objective lens elements 70, 72, as- shown in the end view Fig. 4, to minimize the distal diameter of the endoscope as much possible.
  • the optical fibers 216 may be arranged symmetrically on both sides of the objective lens elements 66, 68, as shown, or they may be grouped on one side of the objective lens elements 66, 68 to create shadowing as an additional visual cue for three dimensional perception.
  • the optical connector 214 is connected to an illumination source and the optical fibers 216 direct the light from the illumination-13 shows another embodiment of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 of the present invention which uses a different method for separating the left and right images at the proximal end of the endoscope.
  • Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 showing the ray tracings of the left 230 and right 220 images as they pass through the endoscope.
  • the distal end 342 of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 has an objective and image coupling section 350.
  • An image relay section 352 connects the objective and image coupling section 350 to the optical hinge section 354 which, in turn, is connected to the image decoupling section 356 of the stereoscopic endoscope 340.
  • An interpupilary adjustment/ocular section 358 with two eyepieces 360, 362 is located on the proximal end 344 of the stereoscopic endoscope.
  • Each section of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 is enclosed within an endoscope housing 346. Each of these sections is discussed in greater detail below.
  • the objective and image coupling section 350 of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 is shown in an enlarged side view in Fig. 11.
  • the objective and image coupling section 350 has two separate objective lens elements 366, 368 at the far distal end of the endoscope spaced apart as far as the maximum dimensions of the distal end 342 of the endoscope will allow to achieve maximum stereo parallax.
  • the objective lens elements 366, 368 preferably are negative power lenses having a negative focal length, such as a plano-concave lens as shown.
  • the objective lens elements 66, 68 are chosen to provide a field of view of 60 degrees or more. In one currently preferred embodiment, the objective lens elements 66, 68 are chosen to provide a field of view of approximately 80 degrees. Proximal to each of the objective lens elements 362,
  • each of the rhombic prisms 374, 376 faces the planar surface of a plano-convex lens 378.
  • the two rhombic prisms 374, 376 allow greater separation between the two objective lens elements 366, 368 than would otherwise be possible.
  • the stereoscopic endoscope 340 can therefore provide greater parallax for improved depth perception. In a 10 mm stereoscopic endoscope of this type the physical separation of the objective lens elements, measured center-to-center, can be greater than 5 mm.
  • One currently preferred embodiment of the invention provides a 10 mm stereoscopic endoscope with a physical separation between the objective lens elements of approximately 6 mm, resulting in a weighted optical separation of approximately 6.35 mm.
  • the plano-convex lens 378 is preferably cemented to the two rhombic prisms 374, 376 in order to reduce reflection losses at the interface.
  • an aperture stop 372 In-between the two rhombic prisms 374, 376 and the plano-convex lens 378 is an aperture stop 372.
  • Fig. 12 shows a section view of the endoscope taken along line 12- 12 in Fig. 11 in order to illustrate the aperture stop 372.
  • the aperture stop 372 is made of an opaque material, preferably having a matte black finish to reduce unwanted reflections.
  • a circular central opening 370 in the center of the aperture stop 372 is aligned with the proximal faces of the two rhombic prisms 374, 376 as shown.
  • the two rhombic prisms 374, 376 meet at the central plane 348 of the endoscope.
  • Proximal to the plano-convex lens 378 is a lens 380 which focuses the coupled left and right images at infinity and transmits the combined images into the image relay section 352 with an appropriately sized field stop aperture 382 between the proximal end of the objective and image coupling section 350 and the distal end of the image relay section 352 to optimize the focus and the depth of- field of the endoscope optical system.
  • the image of the object enters the left and right objective lens elements 366, 368.
  • the left and right images are each reflected twice within the rhombic prisms 374, 376 to displace them toward the central plane 348 of the endoscope.
  • the left and right images are combined along a common path close to the central plane 348 of the endoscope through the remainder of the objective section 50, including the plano-convex lens 378 and the lens 380, then transferred to the image relay section 352.
  • the image relay section 352 receives the combined left and right images from the objective and image coupling section 350 and transfers the images proximally to the optical hinge section 354 which, in turn, transfers the images to the image decoupling/interpupilary adjustment section 356.
  • the image relay section 352 of the stereoscopic endoscope is largely conventional in that it is made up of optical relays 364, each having two rod lenses 384 with focusing lenses 388, 386 on the proximal and distal ends of each rod lens 384.
  • the image relay section 352 has an even number of optical relays 364 in order to have the correct number of image inversions to result in true stereoscopic depth perception at the ocular section 358.
  • the image relay section 352 also includes magnifying optics 420 proximal to the optical relays 364 to magnify the left and right images.
  • the magnifying optics 420 may be constructed in the form of a variable zoom magnification mechanism, allowing the user to adjust the total magnification of the optical system of the endoscope 340.
  • a variable zoom magnification mechanism can be incorporated into the stereoscopic endoscope 340 between the optical hinge section 354 and the image decoupling/interpupilary adjustment section 356 or within the ocular section 358.
  • the image relay section 352 of the present invention differs from prior art stereoscopic image relay systems in that it is specifically designed to work cooperatively with the objective and image coupling section 350 so that both the left and right images are transmitted along a common path through the relay section 352 as close as possible to the central plane 348 of the lenses within the relay section 352.
  • This on-axis image relay system 352 has a number of advantages that are not found in the prior art off-axis relay systems.
  • the on-axis image relay system 352 has greater throughput of light as compared to off-axis relay systems.
  • Off-axis image relay systems as in the prior art, limit the ray angles that can pass through the relay due to the requirement of passing two distinct off-axis image bundles and therefore can suffer from as much as a factor of four loss in image intensity.
  • the on-axis image relay system 352 results in lower image distortion because the image passes through the central portion of the lenses close to the central plane 348. Transmitting the images through the outer edges of the lenses in an off-axis relay system inherently results in image distortion, astigmatism and coma from the outer edges of the lenses.
  • the optical hinge section 354 is an optional section of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 which allows the proximal portion of the endoscope 344, including the image decoupling/interpupilary adjustment section 356 and the ocular section 358, to be maneuvered and reoriented with respect to the distal portion 342 which includes the relay section 352 and the objective and image coupling section 350.
  • the optical hinge section 354 allows the ocular section 358 to be positioned at a comfortable and convenient angle for the surgeon without moving the. distal end 342 of the stereoscopic endoscope 340. This aspect of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 may be most important for long and complex surgical procedures where discomfort and fatigue can be exacerbated by incorrect scope positioning.
  • the optical hinge section 354 includes four right angle prisms or mirrored surfaces 392, 394, 396, 398 located proximal to the relay section 352.
  • the optical hinge section 354 can allow for articulation through at least 180 degrees to allow for optimal viewing orientation.
  • the optical hinge section 354 functions by the counter rotation of two sets of mirrored surfaces. This provides articulation without image rotation.
  • optical hinge section 354 Due to the high degree of mechanical complexity of the optical hinge section 354, it may not be desirable to include this feature in all embodiments of the stereoscopic endoscope 340, especially in applications where scope position is less critical and/or where cost opsection or with a fixed- angle mirror system to approximate the most convenient articulation angle and facilitate use.
  • the image decoupling section 356 of the stereoscopic endoscope 340 is seen in side view in Fig. 10. As the right and left images exit the proximal end of the optical hinge section 354 of the endoscope (or the optical relay section 252, if the endoscope is made without an optical hinge) , the images enter the image decoupling section 356.
  • the optics of the optical relay section 252 are designed to focus the images at the point where they enter the image decoupling section 356 so that there is a focused image of the aperture stop 372 at this point.
  • Fig. 13 shows a section view of the endoscope taken along line 13-13 in Fig. 10 in order to illustrate the operating principle of the image decoupling section 356.
  • a focused image of the aperture stop 372' is visible at the entrance to the image decoupling section 356.
  • the image of the aperture stop 372' is enlarged as compared to the actual aperture stop 372 by the magnification power of the.optical relay section 252.
  • the left hand image 428 from the left objective element 368 is on the right hand side of the endoscope
  • the right hand image 426 from the right objective element 366 is on the left hand side of the endoscope.
  • the left hand image 428 and the right hand image 426 are separated by a slight gap 450 which is the image of the junction between the two rhombic prisms 374 and 376 in the objective section 350, enlarged by the magnification power of the optical relay section 352.
  • the gap 450 is centered about a central plane 348' which is an extension of the central plane 348 at the distal end 342 of the endoscope 340.
  • the central plane 348' within the image decoupling section 356 may not actually be aligned with the central plane 348 at the distal end 342 of the endoscope 340, as shown in Fig. 10, but may be at an angle to the central plane 348.
  • the central plane 348' within the image decoupling section 356 may be considered a direct extension of the central plane 348 at the distal end 342 of the endoscope 340.
  • a scraper mirror 422 is positioned at the entrance of the image decoupling section 356 with a straight edge 424 aligned approximately parallel to the central plane 348' within the gap 450 between the two images 426, 428.
  • the scraper mirror 422 reflects the left hand image 428 only, allowing the right hand image 426 to pass by the scraper mirror 422.
  • the finite width of the gap 450 simplifies positioning of the scraper mirror 422 and reduces the likelihood of crosstalk between the left image 428 and the right imagsolution of the endoscope 340.
  • the out of focus left 428 and right 426 images may be overlapping which would result in crosstalk between the left 428 and right 426 images.
  • the scraper mirror 422 is positioned at an approximately 45 degree angle with respect to the central plane 348' to reflect the left hand image 428 toward a left side relay mirror 452, also set at an approximately 45 degree angle to direct the left hand image 428 toward the left side of the interpupilary adjustment/ocular section 358 of the endoscope 340.
  • a second mirror 454 is positioned proximal to the scraper mirror 422 to intercept the right hand image 426 which bypasses the scraper mirror 422. Because the left hand image 428 has already been removed from the combined image beam, the positioning of the second mirror 454 is less critical, it may overlap the gap 450 between the two images 426, 428 without concern of causing crosstalk.
  • the second mirror 454 is positioned at an approximately 45 degree angle with respect to the central plane 348' to reflect the right hand image 426 toward a right side relay mirror 456, also set at an approximately 45 degree angle to direct the right hand image 426 toward the right side of the interpupilary adjustment/ocular section 358 of the endoscope 340.
  • the image decoupling section 356 thus serves to separate the right image and the left image that the objective and image coupling section 350 had previously combined along a common path through the image relay section 352 and the optical hinge section 354 of the endoscope 340.
  • the image coupling and decoupling steps within the stereoscopic endoscope allows each stage of the optical system to operate at maximum performance, thereby avoiding many of the performance compromises inherent in the optical systems of prior art devices.
  • the left hand image 428 from the left side relay mirror 452 enters a left side rhombic prism 432.
  • the left hand image is reflected twice within the left side rhombic prism 432 then directed to the left ocular 362.
  • the right hand image 426 from the right side relay mirror 456 enters a right side rhombic prism 430.
  • the right hand image is reflected twice within the right side rhombic prism 430 then directed to the right ocular 360.
  • the two rhombic prisms 430 and 432 are rotatable to allow for adjustment of the interpupilary distance between the left and right ocular lenses 362, 360.
  • the two ocular lenses 360, 362 image the last real internal image to infinity and form- a real exit pupil to coincide with the irises of the observer's eyes.
  • the apparent field of this preferred embodiment is on the order of 40 degrees.
  • the ocular lenses 360, 362 are designed to create enough eye relief, preferably about 22 to 25 mm of eye relief, to allow the endoscope 340 to be used by a physician or other user wearing eyeglasses or protective goggles without removing them and without reducing the apparent field of view.
  • the interpupilary adjustment/ocular section 358 of the endoscope 340 may also include an auxiliary ocular attachment in the form of an additional observer eyepiece or a camera attachment .
  • this feature can be for either monocular or binocular viewing.
  • auxiliary ocular attachment is for stereoscopic or binocular viewing, a beamsplitter would be placed between each of the two rhombic prisms 430, 432 and its corresponding ocular lens 360, 362. The beamsplitters would direct a portion of the image bundle to a second set of ocular lenses. If the auxiliary ocular attachment is for monocular viewing, only one beamsplitter will be needed along either the left or the right optical path, and a piece of plain glass can be placed in the other opticlitter would direct a portion of the image bundle to an ocular lens or to a camera attachment.

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Abstract

Cette invention concerne un endoscope stéréoscopique pourvu, au niveau de l'extrémité distale (50) d'une sonde oblongue, de deux objectifs (66)(68) latéralement séparés, conçus pour créer une image gauche et une image droite. Des éléments polarisants (70)(72), reliés en série à chacun des objectifs, sont orientés de façon à ce que leurs axes principaux soient perpendiculaires. Les images droite et gauches polarisées orthogonalement sont combinées le long d'un trajet optique commun à travers la section relais (52). Une section de dédoublement du faisceau (56) et de découplage des images, disposée à proximité de la section relais (52), utilise un dédoubleur de faisceau polarisant pour séparer les images droite et gauche en fonction de leur état de polarisation orthogonale et les dirige vers les oculaires droit et gauche de la section oculaire (58). Une section optique charnière (54) permet un mouvement relatif de la section oculaire (58) et de la partie distale de l'endoscope.
PCT/US1997/001372 1996-02-01 1997-01-31 Endoscope stereoscopique WO1997027798A1 (fr)

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WO2008079578A2 (fr) * 2006-12-21 2008-07-03 Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Endoscope stéréoscopique
FR2969349A1 (fr) * 2010-12-20 2012-06-22 Inst Telecom Telecom Bretagne Procede de creation et de report sur un support argentique d'imagettes stereoscopiques, procede de traitement d'un tel support et dispositifs correspondants.
EP2492744A1 (fr) * 2009-10-23 2012-08-29 Olympus Medical Systems Corp. Système optique objectif pour la capture d'image tridimensionnelle et endoscope
US8556807B2 (en) 2006-12-21 2013-10-15 Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. Hermetically sealed distal sensor endoscope
WO2014130547A1 (fr) 2013-02-19 2014-08-28 Integrated Medical Systems International, Inc. Endoscope à écarteur de pupille
US20140333721A1 (en) * 2013-05-07 2014-11-13 Integrated Medical Systems International, Inc. Stereo Comparator for Assembly and Inspection of Stereo Endoscopes
EP2995238A3 (fr) * 2014-08-22 2016-06-29 Karl Storz Imaging Inc. Système de lentilles stéréoscopique compact pour dispositif d'imagerie médicale ou industrielle
US9883788B2 (en) 2011-09-13 2018-02-06 Visionsense Ltd. Proximal high definition endoscope
EP3811843A1 (fr) * 2019-10-21 2021-04-28 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope
WO2021183824A1 (fr) * 2020-03-12 2021-09-16 Integrated Endoscopy, Inc. Conceptions d'endoscope et procédés de fabrication
EP4079210A1 (fr) 2021-04-20 2022-10-26 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope

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WO2012084542A1 (fr) * 2010-12-20 2012-06-28 Institut Telecom - Telecom Bretagne Procédé de création et de report sur un support argentique d'imagettes stéréoscopiques, procédé de traitement d'un tel support et dispositifs correspondants
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EP2995238A3 (fr) * 2014-08-22 2016-06-29 Karl Storz Imaging Inc. Système de lentilles stéréoscopique compact pour dispositif d'imagerie médicale ou industrielle
WO2021078692A1 (fr) 2019-10-21 2021-04-29 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope
EP3811843A1 (fr) * 2019-10-21 2021-04-28 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope
WO2021183824A1 (fr) * 2020-03-12 2021-09-16 Integrated Endoscopy, Inc. Conceptions d'endoscope et procédés de fabrication
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EP4079210A1 (fr) 2021-04-20 2022-10-26 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope
WO2022223301A1 (fr) 2021-04-20 2022-10-27 Ulrich Weiger Endoscope

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