Optical viewing instrument

Claim 2

A microscope adapted to be inserted into a living body for direct examination of interior surfaces thereof and having a magnifying objective lens system, a fiber optical viewing system for transmitting therethrough the image of the object focused on the forward end surface thereof by said magnifying objective lens system to the rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, eyepiece means for observing the magnified image formed on said rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, a fiber optical illuminating system for illuminating the object by the light transmitted from a light source through said fiber optical illuminating system to the front end surface thereof and onto said object, and open ended tube means covering the systems watertightly for protection against liquids encountered when the microscope is inserted in the living body, the improvement wherein optical means is provided in front of said magnifying objective lens system at the open end of said tube means in optical alignment therewith at an appropriate distance therefrom, the open end of said tube means and the forward end surface of said optical means being inclined in a common plane with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of said objective lens system so that the inclined forward end surface of said optical means and the open end of the tube means flush therewith constitutes a needle which can easily penetrate a part of the body to be examined, said penetration being controlled by manipulating said microscope thereby permitting direct examination of the interior of the body without need for excising a specimen for examination.

Claim 3

A microscope according to claim 1, wherein said optical means is a fiber optical system, the image of the object contacting the inclined forward end surface thereof being transmitted to the rear end surface of said fiber optical system, the image transmitted to said rear end surface being focused on the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system at high degree of magnification by said magnifying objective lens system.

Claim 4

A microscope according to claim 1, wherein said optical means is a parallel plane optical element located in inclined relationship with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system, the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system being inclined with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system so that an optically conjugate relationship is formed between said parallel plane optical element and the thus inclined forward end surface of said viewing fiber optical system of the microscope.

Claim 5

A microscope according to claim 1, wherein said optical means is a parallel plane optical element located in inclined relationship with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system, the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope being inclined so as to be in parallel relationship to said parallel plane optical element.

Claim 6

A microscope according to claim 1, wherein said magnifying objective lens system comprises at least one lens element.

Claim 7

A microscope according to claim 1, wherein a cylindrical or anamorphic lens system is incorporated in the optical system of the microscope.

Claim 8

An optical viewing instrument adapted to be inserted into the space in a living body and having an objective lens system, a fiber optical viewing system for transmitting therethrough the image of the object focused on the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system by said objective lens system to the rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, eyepiece means for observing the image formed on said rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, fiber optical illuminating system for illuminating the object by the light transmitted therethrough from a light source to the forward end surface of said fiber optical illuminating system and projecting the light therefrom, and an outer tube covering the above mentioned elements watertightly for protection against liquids encountered when the optical viewing instrument is inserted in the living body, the improvement wherein a removable microscope is inserted through a guide tube extending within said outer tube so that the forward end of the microscope projects from the forward end of said outer tube, said microscope being provided with optical means located at the forward end of the microscope, a magnifying objective lens system, a fiber optical viewing system of the microscope for transmitting the magnified image focused on the forward end surface thereof by means of said magnifying objective lens system through said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope to the rear end surface thereof, eyepiece means of the microscope for observing the magnified image on said rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope, the forward end surface of said optical means being inclined with respect to the plane normal to the optiCal axis of said magnifying objective lens system so that said optical means can easily penetrate that part of the body into which said optical viewing instrument is to be inserted, the image of the object contacting the inclined forward end surface of said optical means being focused onto the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system by means of said magnifying objective lens system, the positioning any penetration of said forward end surface being controlled by manipulating said microscope while the object is being observed through the optical system of the optical viewing instrument.

Claim 9

An optical viewing instrument adapted to be inserted into the space in a living body and having an objective lens system, a fiber optical viewing system for transmitting therethrough the image of the object focused on the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system by said objective lens system to the rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, eyepiece means for observing the image formed on said rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system, fiber optical illuminating system for illuminating the object by the light transmitted therethrough from a light source to the forward end surface of said fiber optical illuminating system and projecting the light therefrom, and an outer tube covering the above mentioned elements watertightly for protection against liquids encountered when the optical viewing instrument is inserted in the living body, the improvement wherein a removable microscope is inserted through a guide tube extending within said outer tube so that the forward end of the microscope projects from the forward end of said outer tube, said microscope being provided with optical means located at the forward end of the microscope, a magnifying objective lens system, a fiber optical viewing system of the microscope for transmitting the magnified image focused on the forward end surface thereof by means of said magnifying objective lens system through said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope to the rear end surface thereof, eyepiece means of the microscope for observing the magnified image on said rear end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope, the forward end surface of said optical means being inclined with respect to the plane normal to the optiCal axis of said magnifying objective lens system so that said optical means can easily penetrate that part of the body into which said optical viewing instrument is to be inserted, the image of the object contacting the inclined forward end surface of said optical means being focused onto the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system by means of said magnifying objective lens system, the positioning any penetration of said forward end surface being controlled by manipulating said microscope while the object is being observed through the optical system of the optical viewing instrument.

Claim 10

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7, wherein said optical means in the microscope is a fiber optical system, the image of the object contacting the inclined forward end surface of said fiber optical system being transmitted therethrough to the rear end surface thereof, the image thus transmitted to said rear end surface of said fiber optical system being focused on the front end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope at high degree of magnification.

Claim 11

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7; wherein said optical means in the microscope is a parallel plane optical element located in inclined relationship with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system, the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope being inclined with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system so that an optically conjugate relationship is given between said parallel plane optical element and the thus inclined forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope.

Claim 12

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7, wherein said optical means in the microscope is a parallel plane optical element located in inclined relationship with respect to the plane normal to the optical axis of the magnifying objective lens system, the forward end surface of said fiber optical viewing system of the microscope being inclined so as to be in parallel relationship to said parallel plane optical element.

Claim 13

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7, wherein means is provided in said outer tube for supplying dyeing or coloring agent to that part of the body to be examined.

Claim 14

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7 wherein sample gathering means such as forceps can be used in place of said microscope.

Claim 15

An optical viewing instrument according to claim 7, wherein means is provided to connect the near end surface of the fiber optical viewing system of the viewing instrument to a light source in place of the eyepiece means thereby permitting additional illumination to be given to the object through said fiber optical viewing system of the viewing instrument in addition to the illumination by means of said fiber optical illuminating system when the microscope is used for examination of the object under a high degree of magnification.