Patents by Inventor Hironobu Ichimura

Hironobu Ichimura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100137682
    Abstract: There is provided an endoscope capable of observing cells at a desired position existing in the depth direction with a simple structure as compared to the conventional configuration. The endoscope includes an insert unit to be inserted into a biological body, a low-scaling observation system for observing an observation position in a biological body with a low scaling, and a high-scaling observation system for observing a target position of the aforementioned observation position as a local position with a high scaling. The high-scaling observation system includes a plurality of illumination units for applying illumination light for high-scaling observation of the target position. The illumination units are arranged at predetermined positions of the end face of the insert unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2006
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Doguchi, Hironobu Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20090253966
    Abstract: An air-supplying/water-supplying nozzle for delivering fluid to a second imaging unit for observing a body to be examined which is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body to be examined in a projecting manner is provided on a non-projecting face of the insertion portion, the non-projecting portion being disposed at a position lower than a flat face of a middle step portion on which the second imaging unit is disposed. Thereby, such a possibility can be reduced that an opening portion of the air-supplying/water-supplying nozzle is caught by an object to be examined and observation or diagnosis work conducted using an observation optical system of an object-contacting type can be conducted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventor: Hironobu Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20090173875
    Abstract: The image pickup unit is configured to include an objective lens unit composed of a plurality of optical members and a series-connecting portion which unitizes the plurality of optical members and a photoelectric conversion image pickup device and the series-connecting portion is configured to include a holding portion which holds one of the plurality of optical members, an extending portion which is provided to extend from one end of the holding portion in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical member held by the holding portion and is formed to be elastically deformable in a direction almost orthogonal to the optical axis, and an engaging portion which is provided at the extending portion and engages with, of the plurality of optical members, one different from the optical member held by the holding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Hironobu ICHIMURA, Yoshiyuki TANII, Makoto ABE, Ryosuke ISHIZAKI
  • Publication number: 20090156898
    Abstract: An elastically deformable elastic deformation portion is disposed at a distal end portion of a cylindrical hood main body attached on an outer peripheral surface of a distal end portion of an endoscope, and the elastic deformation portion is configured such that a distal end portion of the elastic deformation portion abuts on an analyte to position an observation position of a second imaging unit at a magnification observation time utilizing the second imaging unit while the elastic deformation portion is elastically deformable up to a position where a first imaging unit abuts on an analyte at a contact observation time utilizing the first imaging unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventor: Hironobu Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20090093681
    Abstract: The present invention has a configuration that an observing portion observing an area to be examined and first and second illumination portions performing irradiation of illumination light are disposed on a distal end face of an insertion portion to be inserted into the area to be examined, and a first lens which is a distal end observation lens of an observation window of the observation portion is disposed at a position projecting to a distal end side beyond the distal end face. With the abovementioned configuration, an endoscope provided with an observation optical system of an object contact type performing contact observation to a live body where a sharp observation image can be obtained is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Inventor: Hironobu Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20090088601
    Abstract: An endoscope has an insertion portion, a contact portion, an observation portion and a marking portion. The insertion portion can be inserted into a body cavity. The contact portion is provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion. The contact portion provided at the distal end portion can be in contact with a subject. The observation portion is provided at the contact portion. The marking portion is provided at the contact portion. The marking portion applies a marker to the subject with which the contact portion is in contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Doguchi, Hironobu Ichimura, Hideyasu Takato, Azusa Noguchi, Kazuhiro Gono, Kiyoshi Miyake
  • Publication number: 20090082626
    Abstract: An endoscope has an insertion portion, an abutment portion, an increasing device and an observation portion. The insertion portion is an insertion portion which can be inserted into a subject. The abutment portion is provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion. The abutment portion provided at the distal end portion can contact with the subject. The increasing device increases the abutment area of the abutment portion. The observation portion performs observation of the subject on the abutment portion provided at the distal end portion and having been increased by the increasing device, or performs observation of the subject spaced by a predetermined distance by the increased abutment portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventors: Hironobu Ichimura, Hideyasu Takato, Azusa Noguchi, Kiyoshi Miyake, Nobuyuki Doguchi, Kazuhiro Gono
  • Publication number: 20080266441
    Abstract: An image pickup unit according the present invention includes: a solid-state image pickup device which photoelectrically converts a photographic light and thereby outputs a video signal; and a lens barrel which, being approximately cylindrical in shape and being fastened to the solid-state image pickup device by a light-curing adhesive, holds a plurality of objective lenses, wherein a tapered surface is formed on a rear end face which opposes front part of the solid-state image pickup device of the lens barrel, with distance between the tapered surface and the front part of the solid-state image pickup device increasing toward outer circumference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventor: Hironobu Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20080117292
    Abstract: An image forming lens includes a lens element having a flange part that is integral with the lens element. When assembled with an image pickup element to form an image pickup module, an outside perimeter portion of the lens element having a flange part, at a region nearest an image pickup element, is inclined so that outer diameters thereof increase when successively measured at positions nearer to the image pickup element. A frame of the image forming lens according to the invention has an inclined portion on the object side with an outer diameter that becomes smaller when successively measured nearer the object side. Satisfying one or more conditions insures accuracy in assembly and that there will be sufficient room near the object side outside the inclined portion to mount a light source, such as an LED, without having to increase the maximum outer diameter of the image pickup module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Tatsuya Orihara, Hidetake Segawa, Hironobu Ichimura, Mitsujiro Konno
  • Publication number: 20080086032
    Abstract: In an endoscope that includes an observing section observing a body to be examined in a contacting state with or in a proximal state to a flat face of a projecting step section at a distal end of an insertion section to be inserted into the body to be examined, a guide groove for guiding fluid caused to flow from a pipe conduit opening section for fluid supply which supplies fluid to the flat face of the projecting step section in a direction of a first lens of an observation optical system which is an observation window of the observing section is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventor: Hironobu ICHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20070118019
    Abstract: A tip portion main body provided on the tip of the insertion portion has an erecting device disposed in the vicinity of the channel tip opening, capable of changing the protruding direction of the treatment tool, a solid-state image-capturing device, an objective optical system, having a predetermined field of view angle for capturing an image within the body cavity including the treatment tool protruding from the tip opening with a first field of view angle equating to the upper field of view angle during observation, and forms this image at the solid-state image-capturing device; and a second field of view angle equating to the lower field of view angle during observation, with the tip side of the insertion portion as the field of vision range, and the first field of view angle is set to be the same or smaller than the second field of view angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Publication date: May 24, 2007
    Applicants: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP., OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiko Mitani, Kazuhiro Kumei, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Seiji Sakai, Hironobu Ichimura, Masahiro Kawauchi
  • Publication number: 20050203418
    Abstract: An endoscope includes an inserted unit for being inserted into a celomic cavity of a body and having therein at least one channel, and an ultrasonic treatment apparatus including a transmitting member that transmits an ultrasonic wave produced by an ultrasonic vibrator, and a treatment unit provided on a distal end of the transmitting member and for being inserted, together with the transmitting member, into the channel. The ultrasonic treatment apparatus is arranged within the channel by positioning a distal end of the treatment unit within a field of vision of the endoscope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 15, 2005
    Inventors: Norihiro Yamada, Hironobu Ichimura