Patent ID: 7699772

Claim:
A visual means of an endoscope comprising: an endoscope shaft having a distal end; an endoscope head located at the distal end of the endoscope shaft; a central working duct centrally formed in the endoscope head that opens at a front end section of the endoscope head; and at least three optical systems arranged in the endoscope head, each having a field of vision, and each comprising at least one image capture device, wherein the endoscope has a direction of movement and a normal to the direction of movement, wherein the at least three optical systems realize an aperture angle of more than 180°, wherein the at least three optical systems are disposed such that the fields of vision collectively reach beyond the normal to the direction of movement, wherein all of the at least three optical system are arranged along an orbit around the central working duct in the endoscope head, and wherein all of the at least three optical systems are aligned at an angle obliquely to a longitudinal axis of the endoscope such that the fields of vision of the at least three optical systems overlap in a front area of the endoscope so that over a particular spherical segment around the endoscope head, a closed visual scanning field is formed.