Abstract: A blood vessel in a patient is severed by inserting a shaft through an incision in the patient, the shaft carrying first and second clamps. The first and second clamps are closed against the vessel in closely adjacent relationship to one another. Thereafter, the clamps are moved in generally opposing directions to sever the vessel at a location between the clamps. Each clamp carries a cauterizing pad for cauterizing the severed ends of the vessel.

Abstract: A blood vessel in a patient is severed by inserting a shaft through an incision in the patient, the shaft carrying first and second clamps. The first and second clamps are closed against the vessel in closely adjacent relationship to one another. Thereafter, the clamps are moved in generally opposing directions to sever the vessel at a location between the clamps. Each clamp carries a cauterizing pad for cauterizing the severed ends of the vessel.

Abstract: This invention provides an image pickup device including: a pixel portion including pixels Pxl arranged in a two-dimensional array for generating and storing photoelectric conversion signals in accordance with an amount of light exposure; a first reading portion for reading photoelectric conversion signals of the pixels Pxl at a first cycle; a first selection portion for selecting the pixels Pxl read by the first reading portion as all the pixels arranged in the pixel portion; a second reading portion for reading the photoelectric conversion signals of the pixels Pxl at a second cycle; and a second selection portion for selecting the pixels Pxl to be read by the second reading portion as a part of all the pixels arranged in the pixel portion and setting a plurality of the second cycles to be included in the first cycle.

Abstract: An image pickup system has a noise estimating unit which estimates the amount of noise contained in a digitized signal from an image pickup element composed of an array of a plurality of pixels, either for each pixel or for each specified unit area made up of a plurality of pixels, and a shooting conditions estimation unit which estimates the shooting condition when an image based on the signal is acquired. The amount of noise estimated by the noise estimating unit is corrected on the basis of the shooting conditions estimated by the shooting conditions estimation unit, and the noise in the signal is reduced on the basis of the corrected amount of noise.

Abstract: An electronic camera of the present invention includes a paper exit opening for removal of printed paper provided on the upper surface of the case of the camera main body, a protection sheet having a base end fixed to the inside of the paper exit opening, with a free end revertible to a wound-up roll shape retracted inside the case, and capable of being extended by the front end of the printed paper when the printed paper is transported from the case to the outside so that the protection sheet covers the photosensitive surface of the paper, and an open-and-close lid having one end edge axially supported to be rotatable to the case so that the paper exit opening is closed from the outside of the case when the protection sheet is retracted within the case. Further, the protection sheet includes a linking mechanism for linking the protection sheet to the open-and-close lid so that the open-and-close lid is opened or closed interlocked with a movement of the protection sheet.

Abstract: An electronic camera having therein a CCD (image sensing device). A lens barrel is mounted on a camera body thereof. As focusing means, this camera has therein a ranging unit in an active AF manner and a contrast detector in a contrast AF manner using subject light from the lens barrel. A grip portion is arranged at the left side (as seen from the subject) of the camera body. A peak portion is arranged over the grip portion. A ranging window for the ranging unit is arranged over the peak portion. When the camera body is held, it is possible to prevent fingers from moving to the front of the ranging window and covering the window by the peak portion. Even if the lens barrel has a large aperture, it is also possible to arrange the ranging unit on the front portion of the camera body.

Abstract: In the image pickup system of the present invention, factors that have an effect on noise such as the signal level, temperature of the CCD during shooting, exposure time, gain and the like are dynamically acquired, the noise level of the CCD is estimated for example for each pixel by a noise estimating unit, and signal components equal to or less than this noise level in the video signals are suppressed by a noise reducing unit, so that a high-quality image that is substantially free of noise is obtained while preserving the edges of the image and the like.

Abstract: An endoscopic apparatus for harvesting blood vessels includes a endoscopic barrel including a plurality of lumens, one of the lumens being dimensioned for receiving an endoscope, a handle disposed at a proximal end of the endoscopic barrel, and at least one integrated member for dissecting and cauterizing a blood vessel. The at least one integrated member includes two fingers having distally curved ends. Movement of each of the fingers is independently controlled by a control mechanism disposed within the handle. More specifically, a control rod extends between the handle and each of the fingers such that movement of the control mechanism between a first position and a second position produces a predetermined movement of the respective finger.

Abstract: A virtual environment model of an inside of a room is created from a panoramic image thereof by performing the steps of: arranging the panoramic image on a cylindrical body in a virtual space such that information about an angle of view of the relevant panoramic image is reflected; arranging a ceiling plane and a floor plane of said room in said virtual space such that the ceiling plane and floor place are brought into contact with an upper plane and a lower plane, respectively of said cylindrical body; deriving a radius (r) of the cylindrical body from a circumferencial length of said cylindrical body corresponding to a length (L) of said panoramic image and deriving a height (H) of said panoramic image; setting markers (A′, B′) on the panoramic image, said markers corresponding to vertices (A, B) of posts at respective corners of the room, at said vertices the posts being brought into contact with the ceiling plane and floor plane, respectively on the virtual space; deriving heights (a, b)

Abstract: An information recording reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing informations on and/or from an optical recording medium. The apparatus comprises a light source, at least two objective lenses corresponding to at least two kinds of optical recording media having different thicknesses of a protective layer, respectively, a rotatable holder for supporting these objective lenses, magnetically activatable selection elements for selecting these objective lenses in accordance with the optical recording medium, the light of the light source being illuminated on the optical recording medium through the objective lens selected by the magnetically activatable selection elements, thereby performing recording and/or reproducing of the information.

Abstract: An image display system for viewing an electronic image and an external sight simultaneously, which includes image display units which have an individual controller for outputting image signals to a display unit. The display unit enables a switching operation with a predetermined operation mode from a plurality of operation modes, including a mode for indicating the image signals output from the individual controller. An external control device outputs mode control signals which address the operation mode of the display unit and are received by an external control terminal. A mode exchanging switch specifies a condition of the mode control signal. A detection unit detects whether the external control terminal is connected to a connector capable of outputting a mode control signal. The individual controllers are connected to the external control terminals in turn so as to couple the controllers to the external control device in series.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on and/or from a magneto-optical disk including an optical head for projecting a laser beam onto a magneto-optical disk and receiving the laser beam reflected by the disk, an up-down block arranged movably between a lower position and an upper position, an up-down motor for moving said up-down block up and down, a turntable for supporting the disk and a spindle motor secured to said up-down block and having a driving shaft coupled with said turntable for rotating the turntable, a position detecting device for detecting a position of said up-down block to derive a position signal when the up-down block is driven into the upper position, a rotation detecting device for detecting a rotation of said optical information record disk to derive a rotation signal when the optical information record disk is rotated at a predetermined revolving speed, and a control device for initiating a focus control for moving said objective lens and turntable relative to each

Abstract: An imaging optical system includes a liquid crystal lens including a first body formed of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, a second body formed of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, and two pairs of electrodes for adding an electric field or a magnetic field onto the first body and the second body. A rear face of the first body is aligned perpendicular to a front face of the second body, the first body and the second body have substantially symmetrical shape against a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and a plurality of optical elements are arranged front and after the liquid crystal lens. The liquid crystal lens has two distinct focal points. The system automatically switches between these focal points, based on the position of the lens with respect to the object being observed.

Abstract: An optical pickup comprises a plurality of light sources for generating recording and reproducing light of information, a plurality of optical elements for treating light beam generated from the light sources, light detecting means for detecting light beam in a optical path to adjust various characteristics of the light beam, and a recording medium, wherein resolution or resolving power in recording time and in reproducing time is adjusted to match to each other.

Abstract: An imaging optical system is disclosed. The system comprises a liquid crystal lens including a first body consisting of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, a second body consisting of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, and two pairs of electrodes for adding an electric field or a magnetic field onto the first body and the second body. A rear face of the first body is aligned perpendicular to a front face of the second body, the first body and the second body have substantially symmetrical shape against a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and plurality of optical elements are arranged front and after the liquid crystal lens.

Abstract: A diffractive optical element including a stack of first, second and third optical regions or a stack of first, second, third and fourth optical regions, a first relief pattern formed between the first and second optical regions, and a second relief pattern formed between the second and third or between the third and fourth optical regions. The first and second relief patterns have substantially identical pitch distributions and are substantially aligned in a direction of an optical axis. Depths of the first and second relief patterns are set such that a wavelength dependency of diffraction efficiency can be decreased over a wavelength range to be used. It is possible to manufacture in a simple manner at a low cost a diffractive optical element in which undesired flares and ghosts are suppressed.

Abstract: An image display system capable of viewing an electronic image and an external sight simultaneously, or selectively is disclosed.

Abstract: A differential interference contrast microscope including an illuminating light source, a polarizer for converting an illumination light ray into a linearly polarized light, a polarized light separating unit for dividing the linearly polarized light ray into two linearly polarized light rays having mutually orthogonal vibrating directions, an illuminating optical system, for projecting the two linearly polarized light rays onto an object under inspection, a polarized light combining unit for combining the two linearly polarized light rays on a same optical path via an inspecting optical system, an analyzer for forming a differential interference contrast image on an imaging plane.

Abstract: An illumination optical system for cutting infrared light by a relief type optical element includes a light source and a relief type diffraction optical element having a rectangular sectional-shaped grating having an equal area of land and groove areas so that primarily zero order light can be used for illumination while higher order and infrared light may be filtered out. A relief pattern has characteristics such that a ratio .beta. of a width of a plurality of respective concave portions to a pitch of adjacent convex portions is in a range of 0.34.ltoreq..beta..ltoreq.0.66 and a groove depth d is in a range of 0.85 d.sub.0 .ltoreq.d.ltoreq.1.09 d.sub.0. Excessive heat from infrared light and higher order light may be eliminated without the use of an infrared cutter.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting an optical system such as an objective lens in an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus movably in a focusing direction and/or tracking direction including an optical system holding member, a stationary member which is provided on a carriage moving in a radial direction of an optical record disk, leaf springs having one ends connected to the optical system holding member and the other ends secured to the stationary member and being arranged in parallel with each other such that the holding member can be moved in a given direction with respect to the optical record disk, and a damping member arranged between the leaf springs for providing a damping function. The damping member is formed by injecting a fluidizable damping material into a space formed between the leaf springs and retaining the thus injected fluidizable damping material therein by a surface tension. The injected damping material may be cured to form the damping member, if necessary.