A method for preparing an optical element for insertion into an optical system of an endoscope, wherein the optical element has an optical axis and a peripheral surface that is basically parallel to the optical axis, the method including: arranging the optical element in a mounting of a spindle which rotates the optical element about an axis of rotation of the spindle, aligning the optical element on the spindle such that the optical axis of the optical element coincides with the axis of rotation of the spindle, and subsequent to the aligning, removing an outer peripheral surface region of the optical element until the peripheral surface has a constant spacing from the optical axis of the optical element, wherein the removing of the outer peripheral surface region takes place by laser ablation.

An image-capturing device includes: an illumination light source configured to emit illumination light to illuminate an object; a laser light source configured to emit laser light with a peak wavelength in a range of wavelengths absorbed or reflected by at least one region of the object; an imaging device configured to take an image of the object; a speckle variable device configured to change a speckle pattern in an image acquired by the imaging device over time; and an image processing device configured to process the image acquired by the imaging device, which includes: measuring a change over time in a intensity signal from each pixel constituting the image, and dividing an imaged region of the object into a plurality of portions based on a waveform of the change in the intensity signal over time.

An endoscope has a tubular shaft whose interior contains components, in particular lenses, spacers, diaphragms, prisms and filters of an optical system, said components being at least partially surrounded by a support piece made of shrunk material. It is proposed that the components be surrounded by a transparent and tube-sleeve-shaped shrunk material which has been shrunk before the components are introduced into the tubular shaft.

An optical component assembly method including shrinking a first end of a heat shrink tube about a first optical component, inserting a loading portion of a loading tube into a second end of the heat shrink tube, radially-inserting a plurality of optical components into a staging portion of the loading tube thereby forming a line of optical components, the staging portion being seamlessly coupled to and integrally-formed with the loading portion, moving the line of optical components from the staging portion into the loading portion, and removing the loading portion from between the line of optical components and the heat shrink tube thereby depositing the line of optical components in the heat shrink tube. The line of optical components is fixed and optically aligned within the heat shrink tube by applying radial pressure, axial pressure and heat to the line of optical components simultaneously.

An objective optical system includes a lens group and an optical-path splitting element. The optical-path splitting element has an optical-path splitting surface which forms a first optical path and a second optical path. A reflecting surface is positioned in the second optical path and a predetermined optical surface is positioned in the second optical path. A wavelength band of light transmitted through the predetermined optical surface or a wavelength band of light reflected at the predetermined optical surface is restricted. The wavelength band which is restricted is narrower than a wavelength band of light that travels along the other optical path. A quarter-wave plate is positioned between the optical-path splitting surface and the reflecting surface. The optical-path splitting surface has a characteristic of transmitting P-polarized light and reflecting S-polarized light. The predetermined optical surface is positioned between the optical-path splitting surface and the quarter-wave plate.

Provided is an endoscope apparatus that can improve the airtightness of a space within a connector part where an optical semiconductor element or the like is present. The endoscope apparatus includes a connector part that is connected to an external device and transmits and receives light signals to and from the external device. The connector part includes a hollow metal member having two openings that communicate with each other, a light emitting element that is press-fitted and fixed to one opening side of the hollow metal member so as to be capable of sealing the periphery of the one opening, a lens that is provided on the other opening side of the hollow metal member, a fixing member that fixes the lens to the hollow metal member, and an O ring that is pressed by the fixing member and seals a gap between the lens and the hollow metal member.

An objective optical system includes in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power. At a time of focusing, the second lens group moves in an optical axial direction. The third lens group includes, from the object side to the image side, a front group and a rear group. The front group includes a cemented lens having a positive refractive power or includes a single lens having a positive refractive power. The rear group includes a cemented lens having a positive refractive power, and the following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:

0.45<d3t/f32<0.8(1).

The present invention provides a uterus OCT catheter, comprising: a catheter body; the catheter body comprises an outer sleeve, an OCT imaging catheter and a Luer connector; the outer sleeve is provided with an exit window; the reflecting surface of the reflecting prism in the OCT imaging catheter faces the exit window. The present invention further provides a uterus OCT equipment with pull-back function, comprising a pull-back device and the catheter body, the pull-back device comprises a first housing, a driving connector, a fixing sleeve and a catheter fixing tube. The invention adopts the way that the outer sleeve wraps the OCT imaging catheter to increase the overall strength and diameter; a pull-back device is adopted, the pull-back process is stable and in uniform speed, and can effectively prevent complications during human operation and damage to human tissue during pull-back process.

In an endoscope system, a first actuator is configured to move a first optical member when a control signal is applied to the first actuator. A second actuator is configured to move a second optical member only when the control signal having a signal value greater than or equal to a predetermined value is applied to the second actuator. A signal source is configured to apply the control signal having the signal value greater than or equal to the predetermined value or the control signal having a signal value less than the predetermined value to the first actuator and is configured to apply the control signal having the signal value greater than or equal to the predetermined value to the second actuator.

An imaging system for acquisition of NIR and full-color images includes a light source providing visible light and NIR light to an area under observation, such as living tissue, a camera having one or more image sensors configured to separately detect blue reflectance light, green reflectance light, and combined red reflectance light/detected NIR light returned from the area under observation. A controller in signal communication with the light source and the camera is configured to control the light source to continuously illuminate area under observation with temporally continuous blue/green illumination light and with red illumination light and NIR excitation light. At least one of the red illumination light and NIR excitation light are switched on and off periodically in synchronism with the acquisition of red and NIR light images in the camera.