Patent ID: 6933962
Filing Date: 2005-08-23
Classification: A61B,H04N

Abstract:
1. An electronic endoscope provided with a three-dimensional image capturing device, comprising: a housing; a distance-measuring light source that outputs a distance-measuring light beam, which is a pulsed light beam and which is irradiated to a subject so that a first reflected light beam is generated by said subject; a distance-measurement imaging device that receives said first reflected light beam, to accumulate electric charges in accordance with the received amount of said first reflected light beam; a flexible tube that is connected to said housing, and that has an optic fiber along which at least one of said distance-measuring light beam and said first reflected light beam is transmitted; and a three-dimensional image sensing processor that controls the accumulating operation of said distance-measurement imaging device in accordance with the length of said fiber, to generate electric charges corresponding to a three-dimensional image of said subject.