US 2014/0228644 A1 · ENDOSCOPE AND ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS

Abstract

There is provided an endoscope including a lens barrel in which a partial region including at least a distal end is inserted inside a body cavity of a person under measurement, and an imaging module provided in the distal end of the lens barrel, the imaging module has at least one pair of image sensors arranged in parallel at a mutually prescribed distance. The imaging module is switched between a storage state in which the imaging module is stored within the lens barrel in a manner that an extension direction of imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a first direction, and a photographing state in which the imaging module is projected outside of the lens barrel in a manner that the extension direction of the imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a second direction.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An endoscope comprising:

a lens barrel in which a partial region including at least a distal end is inserted inside a body cavity of a person under measurement;
and
an imaging module provided in the distal end of the lens barrel, the imaging module has at least one pair of image sensors arranged in parallel at a mutually prescribed distance,
wherein the imaging module is switched between a storage state in which the imaging module is stored within the lens barrel in a manner that an extension direction of imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a first direction which is an extension direction of the lens barrel, and a photographing state in which the imaging module is projected outside of the lens barrel in a manner that the extension direction of the imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a second direction which is a direction different from the first direction.

1 more element

An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope including a lens barrel in which a partial region including at least a distal end is inserted inside a body cavity of a person under measurement, and an imaging module provided in the distal end of the lens barrel, the imaging module including at least one pair of image sensors arranged in parallel at a mutually prescribed distance and being switched between a storage state in which the imaging module is stored within the lens barrel in a manner that an extension direction of imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a first direction which is an extension direction of the lens barrel, and a photographing state in which the imaging module is projected outside of the lens barrel in a manner that the extension direction of the imaging surfaces of the image sensors becomes a direction along a second direction which is a direction different from the first direction;
and
an imaging module drive control section which controls at least the switching between the storage state and the photographing state in the imaging module.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Endoscope and endoscope apparatus

Life of this patent

Endoscope and endoscope apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11