In one embodiment, a method for a stereo endoscope includes receiving electromagnetic radiation through an inner protective window; focusing the electromagnetic radiation with a left optical component toward a left pixel array of a stereo image sensor along an optical axis of the left optical component parallel with but offset from a center axis of the left pixel array; and focusing the electromagnetic radiation with a right optical component toward a right pixel array of the stereo image sensor along an optical axis of the right optical component parallel with but offset from a center axis of the right pixel array. The left pixel array and the right pixel array are offset from the center optical axis of the stereo endoscope to provide stereo image convergence.

The present application relates to an endoscope apparatus including a shaft component with a proximal end and a distal end. The shaft component is arranged in an outer shaft. The endoscopy apparatus includes an image capture device having an objective lens for generating a real image and an image sensor for capturing the image and generating an image signal. The endoscopy apparatus includes a pivot joint device which couples the image capture device to the shaft component in a manner pivotable about two orthogonal axes but rigid in respect of a rotation about the longitudinal axis of the shaft component. The endoscopy apparatus includes a pivot control device to set a pivot position of the image capture device relative to the shaft component which depends on the rotational position of the image capture device and the shaft component relative to the outer shaft.

A medical imaging device configured to be inserted to a patient's body, comprising an elongated tube, comprising two or more cameras for capturing visual content in the vicinity of the device in different directions of view, a light source for illuminating a field of view of the two or more cameras, a wireless module configured to transmit data captured by the two or more cameras to a remote devices, and a power source for supplying power to the camera, the light source and the wireless module.

A laparoscopic surgical apparatus for performing a surgical procedure through a single incision in a patient's body includes a gross positioning arm supported on a moveable platform, the gross positioner including a head; at least one articulated tool positioning apparatus coupled via a tool controller to an underside of the head, the articulated tool positioning apparatus being configured to receive a tool for performing surgical operations, the tool controller being actuated by the head to cause movements of the articulated tool positioning apparatus for performing surgical operations; and wherein the gross positioner is configured to permit the head to be positioned to facilitate insertion of the articulated tool positioning apparatus through the incision into the patient's body.

A processor for an endoscope includes: an endoscopic image acquisition unit that acquires an endoscopic image of a patient from the endoscope; a virtual endoscopic image acquisition unit that acquires a virtual endoscopic image reconstructed on the basis of a three-dimensional medical image obtained by capturing an image of the patient in advance; a virtual endoscopic image reconstruction unit that reconstructs a corrected virtual endoscopic image that matches most with the endoscopic image on the basis of the degree of matching between the virtual endoscopic image and the endoscopic image; and a diagnosis support information output unit that outputs diagnosis support information based on a feature parameter corrected according to a correspondence between each pixel of the endoscopic image and a distance image obtained from the corrected virtual endoscopic image.

An apparatus of serializer/deserializer is provided. The apparatus comprises a holding unit and a capture unit. The holding unit connects to the capture unit through a coaxial cable, and comprises a disposable image-capture module, a synthetic-image module (L/R montage), a Mipi serializer, a Mipi deserializer, a Mipi capture card, and a capture device. Thus, the apparatus keeps the most expensive ISP and capture device at a back end; and puts the disposable image-capture module, the synthetic-image module, and the Mipi serializer at a front end. After use, it is only necessary to discard the disposable image-capture module, which extends into human body at the front end. The remaining parts are reused. Thus, cost is effectively reduced and the shortcoming of high cost of the use of modern disposable endoscope is solved.

An optical system for use with a stereo video endoscope with a fixed lateral viewing direction. The optical system including: a laterally-viewing distal optical assembly; and a proximal optical assembly, the distal optical assembly and proximal optical assembly jointly establishing a beam path, the proximal optical assembly including: a left channel lens system; and a right channel lens system similarly configured to the left channel lens system; wherein the distal optical assembly establishes an optical axis and is configured to couple incident light along the beam path from an object space into the left channel lens system and into the right channel lens system of the proximal optical assembly; and the optical system comprises an angle-selective optical element with a surface oriented perpendicular to the optical axis of the distal optical assembly, the surface being located in the beam path and coated with an incidence-angle-selective dielectric coating.

A method for intelligent manual adjustment of a manually rotatable focus control of a camera may comprise determining a depth value of a target area relative to the camera and determining a desirable focus adjustment according to a direction and an amount that a focal point of the camera is to be moved in order to coincide with the depth value of the target area. The method may also comprise assisting an operator of the manually rotatable focus control to the desirable focus adjustment by providing a haptic force on the manually rotatable focus control that decreases as the focal point of the camera moves toward the depth value of the target area and increases as the focal point of the camera moves away from the depth value of the target area.

An optical system for a stereo video endoscope including: first and second lens system channels each having optical elements in identical configurations, the optical elements being arranged in a same position along first and second optical axes, respectively, an optical axis of first and second optical elements coincide with the first and second optical axes, respectively, first and second cross-sectional areas of the first and second optical elements are inscribed in first and second circumferential circles, respectively, centers of first and second circumferential circles each coincide with the first and second optical axes, respectively, to define a maximum radius of the first optical element and the second optical element, the first and second circumferential circles overlap one another, and circumferential shapes of the first and second optical elements deviate from the first and second circumferential circles circumscribing them such that the first and second optical elements do not contact.

Methods and apparatuses for generating a model of a subject's teeth. Described herein are intraoral scanning methods and apparatuses for generating a three-dimensional model of a subject's intraoral region (e.g., teeth) including both surface features and internal features. These methods and apparatuses may be used for identifying and evaluating lesions, caries and cracks in the teeth. Any of these methods and apparatuses may use minimum scattering coefficients and/or segmentation to form a volumetric model of the teeth.