Patent ID: 7764381

Claim:
An optical apparatus for use with an object comprising: a light source unit which emits a laser beam; an optical element which receives the laser beam and releases at least a part of the entering laser beam in a direction different from the entering direction of the laser beam as illumination light, the optical element being a holographic optical element which releases primary diffractive light in a direction different from the entering direction of the laser beam as the illumination light; and an illumination optical path unit which is bendable and transmits the laser beam emitted from the light source unit to the optical element; an image processing unit which receives light reflected by the object and forms an image of the object; and a reflection optical path unit which is bendable and constructed to transmit reflection light reflected by the object after receiving the illumination light to the image processing unit; and wherein the optical element and the reflection optical path unit are constructed such that the range of the object reflecting the reflection light to be received by the reflection optical path unit does not include an area of the object which can be illuminated by light emitted in the laser beam entering direction extended from the optical element.