Patent ID: 8790253

Claim:
An imaging apparatus, comprising: a light source device; an imaging device including an imaging element that detects light from a light irradiation area to which the light source device irradiates light, so as to produce an image signal; a first light source; a second light source having emission wavelengths that are different from an emission wavelength of the first light source, wherein the second light source includes a plurality of light sources that have the emission wavelengths different from each other; a phosphor that is disposed to be distant from the first light source and the second light source and absorbs light in a predetermined excitation wavelength band to emit fluorescence; a control section that controls the first light source and the second light source, wherein the phosphor is disposed on an emission light optical path that is shared by the first light source and the second light source, wherein the emission wavelength of the first light source is in the predetermined excitation wavelength band, wherein the emission wavelengths of the second light source are outside of the predetermined excitation wavelength band, wherein the control section switches between an emission of the first light source and an emission of the second light source, in every imaging frame of the imaging device, wherein light emitted from the second light source includes blue light, and wherein the emission light optical path shared by the first light source and the second light source comprises a single-core optical fiber; a dichroic prism for coupling light emitted from the first light source and the light emitted from the second light source into the single-core optical fiber; a converging lens for converging the light emitted from the first light source and the light emitted from the second light source, which are coupled on a same optical axis by the dichroic prism, into one end of the single-core optical fiber; and an illumination optical member located on another end of the single-core optical fiber for holding the phosphor.