Abstract: An image pickup apparatus for endoscope includes an image sensor, a ferrule which is a rectangular parallelepiped having a front surface, a rear surface, and four side surfaces and includes insertion holes and trenches parallel to the insertion holes on respective two side surfaces orthogonal to each other among the four side surfaces, an optical element in which a light emitting region is disposed in a position opposed to the insertion holes, and optical fibers inserted into the insertion holes.

Abstract: There is provided an endoscope in which an operation switch included in the endoscope can be sealed with an airtight structure having a simple structure. A cable (16) of an endoscope (10) has a skin (52) that covers an outer periphery of the cable (16), the skin (52) defines an airtight space (17) inside the cable (16), and an operation switch (50) is disposed in the airtight space (17).

Abstract: An endoscopic retraction assist device includes a body comprising opposite proximal and distal end portions and a central portion between the proximal and distal end portions, and a device channel defined in the body. At the central portion of the body, the device channel transitions from a circular portion having a circular cross section or perimeter to an arcuate portion having an elongated arcuate cross section or perimeter.

Abstract: A fluid control device for endoscope includes a gas feeding conduit, an operation button and a deforming portion. The deforming portion is disposed on a downstream side with respect to the operation button, and has a closing portion which is brought into contact with an inner wall of the gas feeding conduit in a state where the operation button is not pushed.

Abstract: A medical system that includes a medical device having an imaging device configured to capture images of a target site. A location of the target site is determined based on the images. The medical device includes a light source configured to direct light onto the location of the target site, and a processor and non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to move a sensor of a medical instrument toward the location of the target site based on the sensor detecting the light at the target site.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes: an illumination portion including an emitter and being configured to radiate illumination light beam onto an imaging subject, the beam having intensity distribution in which light and dark portions are spatially repeated; a controller configured to cause widths of the dark portions to change; an imager configured to acquire a plurality of illumination images of the subject being illuminated with beams in which the widths of the dark portions are different from each other; and at least one processor including hardware, the processor being configured to: create first and second images from each of the illumination images, the first images containing a greater quantity of information about a deep layer of the subject than the second images do; and calculate information about depths of a feature portion in the subject on the basis of changes among the first images and changes among the second images.

Abstract: Provided is a technique for further reducing the scale of an endoscope system. An optical distribution connector according to the present disclosure discloses an optical distribution connector (additional connector) which includes an optical connector portion that is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a processor and realizes an optical connection with the processor, a plurality of medical device mounting portions, each of which is attachable to and detachable from a medical device, and at least one optical element that distributes light emitted from a light source included in the processor in each direction of the plurality of medical device mounting portions. In this optical distribution connector, at least one optical element has a spectral distribution wavelength characteristic defined by the light transmittance and the light reflectance for each of the plurality of wavelength bands of light (see FIG. 5).

Abstract: A stereo endoscope for capturing a first image which is provided to be observed by a first eye and a second image which is provided to be observed by a second eye, including a shaft with a distal end region, a first image sensor in the distal end region of the shaft, for capturing the first image, and a second image sensor in the distal end region of the shaft, for capturing the second image. The first image sensor and the second image sensor are arranged offset relative to one another in a direction which is parallel to at least either a light-sensitive layer of the first image sensor or a light-sensitive layer of the second image sensor and which is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis the distal end region of the shaft. The first image sensor and the second image sensor are oriented in opposite directions.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes a processor configured to generate a clock at predetermined timing, a light source apparatus configured to irradiate white light and excitation light in a time division manner in synchronization with the clock, and an endoscope configured to perform image pickup based on irradiation timing of the light source apparatus. The processor generates a first white light image at a first clock, generates a first fluorescent image at a second clock, generates a second white light image at a third clock, and generates a third white light image at a fourth clock and superimposes the second white light image and the first fluorescent image at the fourth clock and superimposes the third white light image and the first fluorescent image at a fifth clock.

Abstract: A method of controlling movement of the tip of a surgical endoscope from a first position (E) to an intermediate position (E?), the field of view from the tip of the endoscope being at an angle (?) relative to a longitudinal shaft of the endoscope, the method comprising: receiving a command to move from the first position in a first direction; identifying a nominal view point (N) from the tip of the endoscope in the first position; calculating a tip movement path from the first position based on the received command, the identified nominal view point and the angle (?); determining the intermediate position; and moving the tip to the intermediate position, the intermediate position being such that the nominal view point remains within the field of view from the tip.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosures made herein are directed to facilitating adjustability of operative apparatuses. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosures made herein are directed to mitigating adverse implications of having to adjust a control portion of an operative apparatus to a user-defined setting that is not otherwise a predefined setting position of the control portion. Such adverse implications may arise, for example, due to the time required for performing such adjustment with a required degree of precision. Thereby, such embodiments serve to mitigate, if not eliminate, that manner in which adjusting the control portion of the operative apparatus to the user-defined setting during a procedure can undesirably and/or unacceptably limit efficiency and/or effectiveness of the procedure.

Abstract: An endoscope includes: an insertion section; an operation section; a bending portion; a longitudinal member for maintaining a constant distance from the operation section to a distal end portion of the insertion section along a longitudinal axis of the insertion section; and a flexible tube portion provided in a movable manner with respect to the operation section and the longitudinal member in a longitudinal axis direction, and making the bending portion extend and contract with movement of the flexible tube portion with respect to the operation section in the longitudinal axis direction.

Abstract: Embodiments of a robotic medical system comprise a steerable instrument that includes a bendable body and a connector assembly configured to detachably connect the bendable body to an actuation unit. A controller is configured to control the actuation unit. The connector assembly comprises a connection receptor coupled to the actuation unit and a connecting shaft coupled to the bendable body. The connecting shaft includes a plurality of driving rods that are attached in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of driving wires and that detachably attach to the connection receptor. In a connected state where the bendable body is connected to the actuation unit via the connector assembly, the controller causes the actuation unit to transmit an actuating force from an actuator to a driving rod, and the driving rod actuates or moves a driving wire in a same direction as the actuating force applied by the actuator.

Abstract: An endoscope observation assistance apparatus includes an image information acquiring part to acquire and display a captured image of a luminal organ captured by the endoscope device on a display, a lesion information acquisition part to detect a predetermined lesion based on the captured image and to acquire lesion information regarding the lesion, a lesion disappearance determination part to track the lesion based on the captured image and the lesion information and to determine whether or not the lesion has disappeared from the captured image, and a notification part to notify a determination result when the lesion disappearance determination part determines that the lesion has disappeared from the captured image. Alternatively, the notification part may notify a lesion detection when a short time period passes after the lesion detection by the lesion information acquisition part.

Abstract: An endoscope including a handle and an insertion tube connected to the handle and having a bending section with a first elongate bending section part and a second elongate bending section part. The first elongate bending section part includes first annular members arranged in a row and interconnected by first bridges so as to form a first comb-like structure. The second elongate bending section part includes second annular members arranged in a row and interconnected by second bridges so as to form a second comb-like structure. An outer circumferential surface includes a groove adapted to receive a first bridge and a groove adapted to receive a second bridge of the first bending section part.

Abstract: A rigid-scope optical system includes: an image-formation optical system that causes an image in each of wavelength bands to be formed in a predetermined imaging device, the wavelength bands including a fluorescence wavelength band and a visible light wavelength band; and a color-separation-prism optical system having a dichroic film that separates an optical path of light to be imaged into an optical path of the visible light wavelength band and an optical path of the fluorescence wavelength band, in which the image-formation optical system causes the respective images to be formed in a fluorescence imaging device and a visible light imaging device, the fluorescence imaging device and the visible light imaging device being disposed to cause an amount of misalignment to correspond to a difference between an optical path length of fluorescence and an optical path length of visible light.

Abstract: A sinus entering endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body including a plurality of operation parts; an insertion part extending from the front end of the body to be inserted into the sinus through the nasal cavity, and having at least one working channel; and an applicator load part which is disposed in the body and on which a plurality of applicators which can selectively enter through the working channel can be mounted.

Abstract: The endoscopic device includes a main member having a front slot and a shaft member having a spiral strip selectively running through the slot. The spiral strip is connected to a rotational element whose front end is provided with an optical element. A camera support element is extended from the main member and a camera element is supported by the camera support element. By running the spiral strip through the slot to turn the rotational element and the optical element, a viewing direction of the camera element is altered by the optical element.

Abstract: The disclosures provides an endoscope device which includes a handle portion including a main circuit board, a clamping portion connected to the handle portion, and an insertion portion connected to the clamping portion and including a lens, an image sensor corresponding to the lens, and a flexible circuit board electrically connected to the image sensor, wherein the lens and the image sensor are located at a distal end of the insertion portion away from the clamping portion, and the flexible circuit board extends from the distal end through the clamping portion to the handle portion and is electrically connected to the main circuit board.