Patent ID: 6069651
Filing Date: 2000-05-30
Classification: A61B,G02B

Abstract:
An imaging apparatus for endoscopes, comprising:an endoscope having an observation optical system, said endoscope relaying an object image through said observation optical system, wherein said observation optical system includes an objective lens for forming the object image, a relay optical system for relaying the object image formed by said objective lens as a final image, and an eyepiece for allowing the final image to be observed by an observer's eye; anda TV camera removably mounted to said endoscope, said TV camera including a substantially cylindrical housing that contains therein an imaging optical system for re-forming the final image relayed by said endoscope, a stop unit, and an image sensor held by a holder member, said TV camera being provided with a glass cover that is arranged on a light-incident end thereof to form an entrance window and is constructed to be watertight,said stop unit including a stop blade section, said stop blade section being disposed in said imaging optical system and forming a stop whose aperture size is variable, a portion of said stop unit exclusive of said stop blade section being shaped as a cylinder,said stop unit and lenses that are included in said imaging optical system and that are disconnected from said image sensor are immovable along the optical axis so as to be fixedly positioned relative to one another on the optical axis, at least a part of said lenses of said imaging optical system disconnected from said image sensor being supported by an inside face of said cylinder, wherein said image sensor is movable along the optical axis, andsaid holder member being provided with an adjusting member passing through and projecting from said substantially cylindrical housing so that said image sensor is movable by operating said adjusting member, to change a distance between said lenses of said imaging optical system that are disconnected from said image sensor and said image sensor in a direction of the optical axis for a focusing operation.