Provided is a scanning endoscope apparatus capable of generating an image having an optimum SNR. The scanning endoscope apparatus includes: a light source; an optical fiber that guides light emitted from the light source; an actuator that deflects light emitted from the optical fiber and repeatedly scans the deflected light on the irradiation object; a light detector with a controllable multiplication factor, the light detector photoelectrically converting signal light obtained from the irradiation object irradiated with the light; and a controller, the controller controlling the multiplication factor so as to optimize a SNR based on electric signals obtained for a certain period, the signals having been photoelectrically converted by the optical detection unit.

A system includes a mobile device having one or more cameras to take images; a sensor detecting reflected light from one or more lasers and a diffuser to detect object range or dimension; code for motion tracking, environmental understanding by detecting planes in an environment, and estimating light and dimensions of the surrounding based on the one or more lasers; code to estimate a three-dimensional (3D) volume of an object from multiple perspectives and from projected laser beams to measure size or scale and determine locations of points on the object's surface in a plane or a slice using time-of-flight, wherein positions and cross-sections for different slices are correlated to construct a 3D model of the object, including object position and shape; the device receiving user request to select a content from one or more augmented, virtual, or extended reality contents and rendering a reality view of the environment.

This optical scanning endoscope apparatus can correct the white balance even when bending occurs in the illumination fiber. An optical scanning endoscope apparatus includes an illumination fiber that guides illumination light composed of RGB wavelengths (colors), an actuator that drives the tip of the illumination fiber and repeatedly scans the illumination light over an object, a photodetector that detects light obtained from the object by scanning of the illumination light, a signal processor that generates an image based on output of the photodetector, and a light amount detector for white balance that detects the light amount of light of RGB wavelengths from a portion of the illumination light guided by the illumination fiber. Based on the light amount of light of each of the RGB wavelengths detected by the light amount detector for white balance, the controller adjusts the white balance of the generated image.

This optical scanning method yields a high quality image regardless of the size of the scanning area. An emission end of an optical fiber is displaced two-dimensionally to scan light emitted from the optical fiber, the emission end being displaced by an optical scanning actuator that includes a first driver and a second driver for driving the emission end in different directions. A non-circular scanning area is scanned by controlling, with a driver controller, a first drive signal supplied to the first driver and a second drive signal supplied to the second driver so as to rotate a scanning pattern of the light, while causing the scanning pattern to reciprocate repeatedly in a nearly parallel manner, and to change a length of the scanning pattern in accordance with a rotation angle of the scanning pattern.

An optical scanning endoscope apparatus includes: an illumination optical fiber that emits light from a tip part oscillatably supported; an actuator that drives the tip part of the illumination optical fiber; and a signal generator that generates, with respect to the actuator, a drive signal for causing the tip part of the illumination optical fiber to spiral scan. The signal generator generates the drive signal which includes: an amplitude expansion period for expanding the amplitude of the drive signal of the fiber from substantially 0 to a maximum value; and an amplitude contraction period for contracting the amplitude of the drive signal from the maximum value to substantially 0, the drive signal having an envelope that smoothly continues, with a gradient of substantially 0, across a border between the periods, with the longer one of the periods being defined as an effective scanning period.

A laser system includes a collimator configured to output a collimated laser beam, a support member to which the collimator is mounted, and a linear rail along which the support member is movable in a first dimension such that the collimator, mounted to the support member, and the collimated laser beam, outputted from the collimator, are movable in the first dimension. The laser system further includes a lens positioned downstream of the collimator and configured to direct the collimated laser beam to a target location on a specimen.

The present invention provides software, methods, and systems for characterizing an actual scan pattern of a scanning beam device. The characterization of the actual scan pattern may be used in an image remapping method and/or a drive signal remapping method to reduce distortions in an image.

An optical endoluminal far-field microscopic imaging catheter comprises a light generating system, a first light delivery conduit for propagating light generated by the light generating system and a light distributor configured to redirect light propagated by the delivery conduit into a direction of an object to be imaged. A discriminator is configured for capturing light reflected from the object incident on a window of the discriminator from a particular direction and transmitting only the light captured from the particular direction to a second light delivery conduit. A drive mechanism is configured to sweep the window through a plurality of directions in a predictable pattern for matching each light capture event in the window with a direction of the window during the event. An analyzer matches the direction of the window with an associated light capture event and generate a visible image based on a mosaic of the captured light.

An image processing apparatus for scanning endoscope includes: a number-of-interpolations determination section that receives detection signals from a detector for sequentially sampling return light from a subject and determines a number of detection signals used in an interpolation process by an interpolation section based on distances between a coordinate position of a predetermined lattice point in pixel data of a raster scan system and sampling coordinate positions of the detection signals around the coordinate position of the predetermined lattice point; and the interpolation section that generates pixel data of the predetermined lattice point by using signals of the sampling coordinate positions, wherein a number of the signals is equal to the number of detection signals determined by the number-of-interpolations determination section near the sampling coordinate position corresponding to the coordinate position of the predetermined lattice point.

An endoscope has an insertion portion inserted through a living body, an illumination fiber arranged at a distal end of the insertion portion and irradiates the living body with illumination light, a detection fiber which detects return light from the living body, an actuator which swings a free end of the illumination fiber, and a ferrule which has a through-hole based on a diameter of the illumination fiber and is arranged between the illumination fiber and the actuator. The actuator has an actuator arranged at a first side face of the ferrule and an actuator arranged at a second side face of the ferrule that is different from a face point-symmetric to the first side face with respect to an axial direction of the illumination fiber.