An optical system for use with a stereo video endoscope with a fixed, lateral viewing direction, including: laterally-viewing distal and proximal optical assemblies, similarly configured left and right lens system channels; the distal optical assembly couples incident light from an object space into the left and right lens system channels; the distal optical assembly includes an entrance lens, a deflection prism group and an exit lens in a direction of incident light; the deflection prism group includes first and second prisms in the direction of incident light; the first prism includes first entrance and first exit sides at an angle relative thereto; the second prism includes a second entrance side, a reflection side and a second exit side; and the first entrance side of the first prism and the reflection side of the second prism enclose an angle that is greater than a total reflection angle of the second prism.

A system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber of a medical device. The optical fiber includes one or more core fibers each including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) alter the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The system also includes a console having non-transitory computer-readable medium storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing a broadband incident light signal to the multi-core optical fiber, receiving reflected light signals, receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, identifying at least one unexpected spectral width or a lack of an expected spectral width, and determining the damage has occurred to the optical fiber based on the identification.

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.

An optical system for stereoscopic vision includes in order from an object side, a front unit and a rear unit. Each of the front unit and the rear unit includes a lens component consisting of a single lens or a cemented lens. The front unit includes a first front unit and a second front unit, and an optical axis of the first front unit, an optical axis of the second front unit, and an optical axis of the rear unit are positioned in a same plane. The optical axis of the rear unit is positioned between the optical axis of the first front unit and the optical axis of the second front unit, and the following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:
0.15<De/Φ<0.85  (1).

A surgical retractor includes a plurality of cameras integrated therein. One such retractor includes a tubular retractor and an insert supporting said plurality of cameras can be disposed within a tubular retractor.

A stereo endoscope including: a shaft; and an objective lens including: a distal objective lens portion, where beam paths of right and left partial images extend through common optical components; a proximal objective lens portion, where the beam paths of the right and left partial images extend through separate optical components; and a transition portion, where the beam paths of the right and left partial images, which emerge from the distal objective lens portion at an angle to one another, are aligned parallel to one another; the transition portion comprises a lateral spreading arrangement including optical components for increasing a distance between the beam paths of the right and left partial images; and the lateral spreading arrangement is configured to laterally spread the beam paths of the right and left partial images asymmetrically in relation to an optical axis of the distal objective lens portion.

Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber of a medical device. The optical fiber includes one or more core fibers each including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) alter the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The system also includes a console having non-transitory computer-readable medium storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing a broadband incident light signal to the multi-core optical fiber, receiving reflected light signals, receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, identifying at least one unexpected spectral width or a lack of an expected spectral width, and determining the damage has occurred to the optical fiber based on the identification.

A stereoscopic-vision endoscope includes an objective optical system, a relay optical system, a first lens unit, a light-beam splitting element, a second lens unit, and an image sensor. An intermediate image, a first image, and a second image are formed in a common optical path, a first optical path, and a second optical path respectively. The light-beam splitting element has a surface of incidence and a surface of emergence. A first light ray which passes through the intermediate image and reaches first image and a second light ray which passes through the intermediate image and reaches the second image are refracted to be away from an optical axis of the common optical path on the surface of incidence, as well as are refracted to be closer to the optical axis of the common optical path on the surface of emergence.

The invention relates to an endoscopic device, in particular for medical applications, comprising an endoscope with a shaft that is introducible into a subject under examination, and a data processing unit, three or more optical imaging units having respective imaging elements arranged distally on the shaft and image sensors associated therewith for providing image data sets for the data processing unit, wherein the data processing unit is configured and programmed such that it uses the image data sets to determine corresponding image points therein and generates a 3D surface data set of an object imaged by the imaging units in the subject under examination. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for endoscopic examination.

Medical software tools platforms utilize a surgical display to provide access to specific medical software tools, such as medically-oriented applications or widgets, that can assist surgeons or surgical team in performing various procedures. In particular, an endoscopic camera may register the momentary rise in the optical signature reflected from a tissue surface and in turn transmit it to a medical image processing system which can also receive patient heart rate data and display relevant anomalies. Changes in various spectral components and the speed at which they change in relation to a source of stimulus (heartbeat, breathing, light source modulation, etc.) may indicate the arrival of blood, contrast agents or oxygen absorption. Combinations of these may indicate various states of differing disease or margins of tumors, and so forth. Also, changes in temperatures, physical dimensions, pressures, photoacoustic pressures and the rate of change may indicate tissue anomalies in comparison to historic values.