In one aspect, a light module is disclosed, which includes a housing providing a hollow chamber extending from a proximal end to a distal end, and a lens positioned in the hollow chamber, where the lens has a lens body comprising an input surface for receiving light from a light source and an output surface through which light exits the lens body, said lens further comprising a collar at least partially encircling said lens body. The light module further includes at least one shoulder on which the lens collar can be seated for positioning the lens within the housing. A light source, e.g., an LED, is coupled to the hollow chamber, e.g., at its proximal end, for providing light to the lens.

An optical system of a stereo-video endoscope with a sideways viewing direction, the optical system including: a sideways-viewing distal optical assembly; and a proximal optical assembly; wherein the distal optical assembly includes an inlet lens, a deflecting unit configured as a prism unit, and an outlet lens on a common optical axis one after the other in the direction of light incidence, the proximal optical assembly includes a left and a right lens system channel, the lens system channels being identically configured and arranged parallel to each other, each lens system channel having its own optical axis, and the outlet lens is formed with one or more of a light-impermeable coating on a light inlet side facing the deflecting unit and with a light-impermeable coating formed on a light outlet side facing away from the deflecting unit in a central region of the outlet lens.

An imaging device according to the present invention includes: first and second image sensors that respectively capture a first optical image and a second optical image having parallax with each other; a first imaging optical system that forms the first optical image on a light receiving surface of the first image sensor; and a second imaging optical system that forms the second optical image on a light receiving surface of the second image sensor. Each of focal positions of the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system is deviated along an optical axis direction and is positioned within mutual depth of field.

An apparatus for obtaining information regarding a biological structure(s) can include, for example a light guiding arrangement which can include a fiber through which an electromagnetic radiation(s) can be propagated, where the electromagnetic radiation can be provided to or from the structure. An at least partially reflective arrangement can have multiple surfaces, where the reflecting arrangement can be situated with respect to the optical arrangement such that the surfaces thereof each can receive a(s) beam of the electromagnetic radiations instantaneously, and a receiving arrangement(s) which can be configured to receive the reflected radiation from the surfaces which include speckle patterns.

An optical instrument for capturing stereo images includes two optical devices for producing a real image in each case, two carriages, which are each movable along a predetermined path relative to one of the optical devices, two image sensors, each with a light-sensitive surface for capturing the respective real image, with one of the image sensors in each case being fastened to the carriage, and one reflecting surface in the beam path between the optical device and the image sensor in each case.

An optical device, generally a camera head connected to an endoscope, provides multiple modes of operation, producing images with varying depth of field and/or resolution characteristics. Light from the endoscope passes through a variable aperture and a beam splitter and is directed to two or more independent image sensors. The image sensors may be moved, relative to each other, along their optical paths. An image processor combines the collected images into a resultant image. Adjustment of the relative positions of the image sensor and/or the diameter of the variable aperture permits the selection of optical properties desired, with a larger depth of field, and/or higher resolution than possible with a conventional system. Images may be collected through multiple acquisition periods, and a further enhanced image may be generated therefrom. The camera head may automatically make adjustments based on identifiers of the optical configuration of the attached endoscope.

A filter assembly is configured to optically couple a camera head to an endoscope. The filter assembly includes a first end adapted to be removably coupled to the camera head and a second end opposite and spaced apart from the first end, the second end adapted to be removably coupled to the endoscope. The filter assembly includes an optic housing disposed between the first end and the second end, the optic housing includes an optical path length maximizer and a first window. The first window has a first surface that is angled with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the optic housing so as to minimize a narcissus reflection within the optic housing and an optical filter to reject laser irradiation.

Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for obtaining optical images of a targeted object or scene such as a person's organ or tissue based on a fiber bundle having imaging optical fibers and optical phase modulation for improved imaging quality without using an objective lens to receive light from a target. Among its applications is an endoscope that bears no lens at the distal end, which affords miniaturization and bendability, and that has adjustable focal distance.

Control of expansion of a depth of field using a birefringent mask is realized in a more preferred aspect. A medical image processing apparatus includes a control unit that performs control so as to generate a corrected image by executing image processing on an image obtained by imaging a subject image of a patient acquired via an optical system including a birefringent mask and an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding an application situation of high-pressure steam sterilization processing on the optical system, in which the control unit controls the image processing according to the application situation of the high-pressure steam sterilization processing.

An autofocus control device includes a processor. The processor performs an image acquisition process of acquiring an object image captured by an imaging section, a treatment determination process of determining whether or not treatment is being performed based on the object image, a focus evaluation area setting process of setting either a preset area or a treatment area set based on the object image, as a focus evaluation area in the object image based on a determination result of the treatment determination process, and a focus control process of performing focus control of the imaging section based on a focus evaluation value of the focus evaluation area.