In a method of using a structured-light based system, real-time 2D images of a portion of a field of view are captured using an endoscope. A portion of an object in the field of view is illuminated with a structured light pattern, and light reflected from the field of view is detected. From the reflected light, a 3D image of the field of view is constructed, and 3D locations of points on a surface of the object are determined. The real time 3D spatial position of the endoscope and/or a surgical tool is determined. If a distance between the surface the endoscope and/or surgical tool, as determined using the 3D spatial position, falls below a predetermined distance, an alert is generated to notify a user.

An endoscope apparatus capable of transmitting an endoscope image as an optical signal includes: an electronic component that includes a reception circuit configured to receive an electric signal outputted from an image pickup device and supply the electric signal to a conversion device; a printed board provided with the electronic component; a shielding member that covers at least the reception circuit; a first path via a ground connection line that is provided for the electronic component, and electrically connects the shielding member to a ground; and a second path via a conductive portion that electrically connects the shielding member to the ground, wherein an impedance of the second path is lower than an impedance of the first path.

An endoscope system includes a processor including an image processing unit that obtains an inflammation evaluation value in which a degree of inflammation of a biological tissue is digitized on the basis of information of a color component of an image of the biological tissue, from the image that is obtained by imaging the biological tissue, and a monitor displaying the inflammation evaluation value. The image processing unit includes a blood vessel region determination unit obtaining certainty of a blood vessel region of the biological tissue in the image, a pixel evaluation value generation unit obtaining a pixel evaluation value by performing digitization processing with respect to each of the pixels of the image, a pixel evaluation value adjustment unit calculating an adjustment value in which the pixel evaluation value is reduced as the certainty of the blood vessel region increases.

A surgical system includes a surgical assist robot including a robot main body and a slave controller, and a console. The robot main body has an entry guide, an entry guide support device, and at least one manipulator having an end effector provided at a distal end. The entry guide includes an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder into which the inner cylinder is inserted in an insertion axial direction, and a guide advancing device that displaces the inner cylinder in the insertion axial direction with respect to the outer cylinder. While a position and a posture of the end effector that has advanced from the entry guide are maintained, the inner cylinder is caused to advance toward the end effector within a predetermined movable range along the insertion axial direction with respect to the outer cylinder.

A surgical robot for use in endoscopic surgery includes a control device that implements a position information calculator that calculates information relating to a distal end position of the treatment instrument used in endoscopic surgery, and information relating to a distal end position of an endoscope, a first display section that displays a relative positional relationship between the distal end of the treatment instrument and the distal end of the endoscope by using a calculation result obtained from the position information calculator, and a second display section that displays an image captured by the endoscope.

Image rotation in an endoscopic hyperspectral, fluorescence, and/or laser mapping imaging system is described. A system includes an emitter for emitting pulses of electromagnetic radiation and an image sensor comprising a pixel array for sensing reflected electromagnetic radiation. The system includes a rotation sensor for detecting an angle of rotation of a lumen relative to a handpiece of an endoscope. The system is such that at least a portion of the pulses of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter comprises one or more of a hyperspectral emission, a fluorescence emission, and/or a laser mapping pattern.

A medical system includes: an endoscope and at least one treatment tool; a treatment-tool coordinate calculating unit that extracts the treatment tool by processing two or more images acquired at different times by the endoscope, that determines directions of longitudinal axes of the extracted treatment tool, and that calculates a coordinate of an intersection of the determined two or more longitudinal axes; and a judgment unit that judges whether the treatment tool serves as a follow target, on the basis of the coordinate of the intersection calculated by the treatment-tool coordinate calculating unit.

An image processing unit includes a shake amount calculation section and a static image-storage control section, and the shake amount calculation section includes a shake amount-calculation processing section and an algorithm switching section. The algorithm switching section applies an algorithm varying for each image, and selects images of which the shake amounts calculated by the shake amount-calculation processing section are small. A first image and a second image, which are selected as the images of which the shake amounts are small, are stored in a static image-storage unit. A display control unit displays static images for storage.

An endoscope includes a light source coupled to emit light, and a lens disposed proximate to a distal tip of the endoscope tube and structured to absorb at least some of the light. A controller is coupled to the light source, and the controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the endoscope to perform operations, including adjusting an emission profile of the light source to heat the lens with the light, and heating the lens mitigates formation of fog on the lens.

A method of quantifying progression of pregnancy, includes a) illuminating a uterine cervix with polarized light having a wavelength comprised between 600 and 1100 nm; b) acquiring a plurality of images of the illuminated uterine cervix through a polarization state analyser in respective analysing states; steps a) and b) being performed either once or a plurality of time using polarized light having different polarization states; c) from the acquired images, computing a depolarization parameter over a region of interest of the uterine cervix; and d) quantifying the progression of the pregnancy from said depolarization parameter. An apparatus, based on a colposcope fitted with a controllable polarization state generator, a controllable polarization state analyser and a suitably-programmed computer, for carrying out such a method. A computer program for carrying out such a method.