An endoscope optical system includes, in order from an object side: a fixed negative first lens group; a movable positive second lens group; a fixed aperture stop; and a fixed positive third lens group, the endoscope optical system being capable of switching between a normal observation state and a magnified observation state by moving the second lens group along an optical axis, in which the third lens group includes, in order from the object side: a cemented lens consisted of three lenses; and a cemented lens consisted of two lenses. In the cemented lens consisted of three lenses, three lenses of a positive lens, a negative lens, and a positive lens are cemented. In the cemented lens consisted of two lenses, two lenses of a positive lens and a negative lens are cemented. The following conditional expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied: 1.70<(nd3G1+nd3G2+nd3G3)/3<2.0 (1); and 1.72<(nd3G4+nd3G5)/2<2.0 (2).

An endoscope apparatus includes: an insertion portion having a distal end portion; an optical path switching unit configured to switch an optical path so that only one of a first subject image and a second subject image is imaged on an image forming area, the second subject image being an image of a subject formed by light emitted from a second objective optical system disposed at the distal end portion and having an optical magnification higher than that of the first objective optical system; an imaging element configured to generate an image acquired by picking up the first subject image and the second subject image formed in the image forming area; and an endoscope processing unit configured to control switching of the optical path based on an input zoom magnification and apply image processing to the image generated by the imaging element.

Provided is a signal processing device including a control unit that acquires distance measurement information on the basis of an addition value obtained by adding together outputs of a plurality of phase difference detection pixels supplied from an imaging element in which the plurality of phase difference detection pixels different in phase difference characteristic is arranged.

An optical unit includes: a moving frame disposed so as to freely move back and forth inside a fixed barrel and configured to hold a moving lens; an actuator configured to drive the moving frame along an optical axis of the moving lens; a plurality of spherical bodies configured to make the moving frame slidable; a plurality of guide grooves configured to guide the plurality of spherical bodies; a plurality of magnets disposed so as to generate magnetic force in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis; and a magnetic member disposed at a facing position of the plurality of magnets, and configured to cancel attractive forces in opposing directions generated with the plurality of magnets by the magnetic force and generate urging force only in a direction of bringing the plurality of spherical bodies into contact with the guide grooves at the moving frame.

Borescopes, such as chip-on-a-tip laparoscopes and endoscopes, having variable and/or active focus lenses. In some preferred embodiments, a chip-on-a-tip borescope may comprise a tip assembly having a fixed focus lens and an active or variable focus lens. The active lens may be part of an active lens assembly, which may comprise a substrate, such as a printed circuit board, along with an active lens unit that may be configured to receive electrical signals, such as voltage steps, that may be used to change the shape of the lens component of the unit to change the focal distance of the device. The substrate may be physically coupled to other elements of the scope and may be electrically coupled with other elements of the scope, such as a voltage driver that may be provided in a printed circuit board in the handle of the scope, for example.

A microendoscope, and a microendoscopy method related to the microendoscope, each include a tube housing, where an end of the tube housing is shaped and finished to facilitate collection of light emitted from a sample when examined using the microendoscope. In addition, a catadioptric lens assembly, an endomicroscope that includes the catadioptric lens assembly and a microendoscopy method for microscopic analysis that uses the endomicroscope are predicated upon a second element and a third element within the catadioptric lens assembly that each has a dichroic coating. The placement of the dichroic coating on the second element and the third element provides for different magnification factors as a function of illumination wavelength when using the microendoscopy method.

An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope including an observation optical system including a lens drive mechanism and a video processor connected to the endoscope, and the endoscope apparatus includes a voice coil motor provided in the endoscope and configured to drive a lens relating to the lens drive mechanism and a position detecting apparatus provided in the endoscope and configured to detect a position of the lens. The video processor is configured to determine whether or not the position detecting apparatus is in a heat generating state, and halt actuation of the position detecting apparatus if the video processor determines that the position detecting apparatus is in the heat generating state.

A magnetic coupling is provided having two rings that are arranged concentrically in relation to one another, which are each mounted to be rotatable in relation to one another. An arrangement of at least three magnetic dipoles is respectively arranged on both rings, the magnetic dipoles facilitating magnetic coupling of the rings and a transmission of torque from a driving ring to a driven ring of the two rings. The magnetic dipoles of the arrangements at the driven ring and/or at the driving ring is/are aligned such that two like magnetic poles, which adjoin one another on the respective other ring, are always followed by an unlike magnetic pole, and the magnetic poles adjoining one another at the respective other ring are arranged in a manner corresponding to one another such that the two rings are magnetically coupled in an equilibrium position.

An endoscope includes a plurality of illuminating optical systems, an objective optical system, and an optical-path splitting member. The optical-path splitting member has an optical element which forms a first optical path and a second optical path, and an optical-path length of the first optical path differs from an optical-path length of the second optical path. Illumination light is irradiated to an object from the plurality of illuminating optical systems. The objective optical system has an object-side incidence surface which is located nearest to the object, and each of the plurality of illuminating optical systems has an object-side emergence surface which is located nearest to the object. Each of the object-side emergence surfaces is located on an image side of the object-side incidence surface, and following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:

2.0<Dmin/OPLdiff<50  (1).

An endoscope optical system includes, in order from an object side: a fixed negative first lens group; a movable positive second lens group; a fixed aperture stop; and a fixed positive third lens group, the endoscope optical system being capable of switching between a normal observation state and a magnified observation state by moving the second lens group along an optical axis, in which the third lens group includes, in order from the object side: a cemented lens consisted of three lenses; and a cemented lens consisted of two lenses. In the cemented lens consisted of three lenses, three lenses of a positive lens, a negative lens, and a positive lens are cemented. In the cemented lens consisted of two lenses, two lenses of a positive lens and a negative lens are cemented. The following conditional expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied: 1.70<(nd3G1+nd3G2+nd3G3)/3<2.0 (1); and 1.72<(nd3G4+nd3G5)/2<2.0 (2).