US5800341A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronically steerable endoscope
Assignee: A-VIEW Corp
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Filing: 1995-06-05
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Granted: 1998-09-01
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Expires: 2015-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A multiple view endoscope provides "on command" images of a plurality of different fields of view surrounding the distal end of the endoscope without having to move the endoscope from an initially established position in order to access the different fields of view. In one embodiment, a CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells forms a circumferential band about the distal portion of the endoscope. In another embodiment, the plurality of CCD cells covers substantially all of the outer side wall of the shaft adjacent to the distal end. In both embodiments, a processing device functions to either use the outputs from all the CCD cells to generate a display image or use the outputs from only selected ones of the CCD cells to generate a display image of a selected portion of the entire image captured by the CCD element.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael A. McKenna
- 👤 Joseph M. Rosen
- 👤 David T. Chen
- 👤 Steven D. Pieper
- 👤 Peter J. Robbie
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 01:46
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B1/00; A61B1/00163; A61B1/00174; A61B1/00181; A61B1/00002; A61B1/00043; A61B1/00045; A61B1/0005; A61B1/00064; A61B1/00071; A61B1/0008; A61B1/00096; A61B1/04; A61B1/05; A61B8/00; A61B8/52; A61B8/5215; A61B8/5238; H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/50; H04N23/54; H04N23/555; A61B8/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
235 words
An endoscope comprising: an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end; image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprises a CCD element forming a circumferential band about said distal portion of said shaft, said CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
235 words
An endoscope comprising: an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end; image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprises a CCD element forming a circumferential band about said distal portion of said shaft, said CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
An endoscope according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of illumination means are disposed in a circumferentially spaced array adjacent to said CCD element on at least one side thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
An endoscope according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of non-visual sensing means are disposed in a circumferentially spaced array adjacent to said CCD element on at least one side thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
240 words
An endoscope comprising: an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end; image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprises a CCD element covering substantially all of said outer side wall of said shaft adjacent to said distal end, said CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
240 words
An endoscope comprising: an elongated shaft, said elongated shaft having a distal end terminating in a distal end surface, a proximal end, an outer side wall extending from said distal end to said proximal end, and at least one internal passageway extending from said distal end to said proximal end; image capturing means associated with said distal end of said shaft so as to face outwardly therefrom, said image capturing means defining a field of view associated therewith, and said image capturing means being adapted to capture an image of any objects located within its said field of view and to convert that image into corresponding signals, wherein said image capturing means comprises a CCD element covering substantially all of said outer side wall of said shaft adjacent to said distal end, said CCD element comprising a plurality of CCD cells, and further wherein said corresponding signals are made up of the output from each one of said CCD cells; and processing means associated with said proximal end of said shaft and connected to said CCD cells, said processing means being adapted to (i) use the outputs from all of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of the image captured by said image capturing means, and (ii) use the outputs from only selected ones of said CCD cells so as to generate a display of a selected portion of the image captured by said image capturing means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
An endoscope according to claim 4 wherein said CCD element also covers said distal end surface of said shaft.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-08-31 | 2002-03-02 | 2002-09-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-31 | 2006-03-02 | 2006-09-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-31 | 2010-03-02 | 2010-09-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |