Patent ID: 8771177
Filing Date: 2014-07-08
Classification: A61B,G02B

Abstract:
1. A flexible endoscope, comprising: a shaft comprising a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis spanning the proximal end and the distal end, the distal end of the shaft being flexible; a wide-angle lens disposed in the distal end of the shaft, the wide angle lens system including an optical axis that is angularly offset from a longitudinal axis of the endoscope such that the optical axis resides at an angle greater than zero degrees to the longitudinal axis, wherein the wide angle lens system simultaneously gathers an endoscopic image field at least spanning the longitudinal axis and an angle greater than ninety degrees of the longitudinal axis; an imager disposed in the distal end of the shaft, the imager having an imaging surface area that receives at least a portion of the endoscopic image transmitted by the wide angle lens system and produces output signals corresponding to the endoscopic image field; an image forming circuitry, that receives the output signals and produces an image signal; and an image transmission system residing in the transmission path between the wide angle lens system and the imager, the image transmission system having at least one lens that alters the distribution of the endoscopic image field to correspond to the imaging surface area such that the distribution of the endoscopic image field on the imaging surface area has a uniform information density, the at least one lens distributing substantially the entire endoscopic image field in the longitudinal direction to correspond to the imaging surface area.