Patent ID: 8081380

Claim:
A stereoscopic lens system for a stereo endoscope, the stereoscopic lens system converting light propagated from an object and received at an objective end of the stereoscopic lens system to left and right optical images at an image plane end of the stereoscopic lens system, comprising: one or more optical components adapted to collect light from an object and direct first and second portions of the light along a left optical path and a right optical path respectively; a left group of optical elements having an optical axis disposed along the left optical path and configured to provide a selectably magnified left image of the object at the image plane; a right group of optical elements having an optical axis disposed along the right optical path and configured to provide a selectably magnified right image of the object at the image plane; wherein the left and right groups of optical elements each comprise: at least one fixed zoom lens; at least one object side movable zoom lens proximate the object end, and linearly movable along the optical axis; at least one image side movable zoom lens proximate the image plane, and linearly movable along the optical axis, the at least one object side movable zoom lens and the at least one image side movable zoom lens being selectably movable in the direction of the optical axis while maintaining a fixed separation in the direction of the optical axis in relation to each other; wherein the at least one fixed zoom lens, the at least one object side movable zoom lens, and the at least one image side movable zoom lens, are characterized by fixed optical power, and wherein the magnification and field of view of the left image and the magnification and field of view of the right image depend on the position of the movable zoom lenses of said left group of optical elements and right group of optical elements, respectively.