In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical stru
In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The enhanced images may include (a) visible images with enhanced feature definition, in which a particular feature in the scene is emphasized to the operator of minimally invasive surgical system; (b) images having increased image apparent resolution; (c) images having increased dynamic range; (d) images displayed in a way based on a pixel color component vector having three or more color components; and (e) images having extended depth of field.
대표청구항▼
1. An apparatus comprising: a first image capture sensor comprising a first sensor surface;a second image capture sensor comprising a second sensor surface, wherein the first sensor surface is in a first plane,wherein the second sensor surface is in a second plane, andwherein the first and second pl
1. An apparatus comprising: a first image capture sensor comprising a first sensor surface;a second image capture sensor comprising a second sensor surface, wherein the first sensor surface is in a first plane,wherein the second sensor surface is in a second plane, andwherein the first and second planes are substantially parallel and are separated by a known distance;a prism assembly positioned to receive light, the prism assembly including a beam splitter and a second surface, the beam splitter comprising a first surface configured to reflect a first portion of the received light to the second surface and configured to pass a second portion of the received light, and the second surface being configured to reflect, in a first direction, the first portion of the received light to the first sensor surface; anda reflective unit positioned to receive the second portion of the received light and to direct, in the first direction, the second portion of the received light to the second image capture sensor. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an endoscope comprising a distal end including the first and second image capture sensors, the beam splitter and the reflective unit. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a stereoscopic endoscope comprising a distal end, a pair of channels, and a plurality of first and second image capture sensors, a plurality of assemblies, and a plurality of reflective units, each of the plurality of assemblies comprising a beam splitter,the first image capture sensor and the second image capture sensor being included in the plurality of first and second image capture sensors, the assembly comprising the beam splitter being included in the plurality of assemblies, and the reflective unit being included in the plurality of reflective units, andwherein each channel in the pair of channels includes, in the distal end of the stereoscopic endoscope, a different first image capture sensor of the plurality of first and second image capture sensors, a different second image capture sensor of the plurality of first and second image capture sensors, a different assembly comprising a beam splitter of the plurality of assemblies, and a different reflective unit in the plurality of reflective units. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, the first surface of the beam splitter comprising a multilayer coated surface. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, the reflective unit further comprising: a reflective surface positioned to reflect the second portion of the received light to the second sensor surface of the second image capture sensor. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the beam splitter has an angle of incidence smaller than forty five degrees. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prism assembly and the reflective unit comprise a single integral structure. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, the first surface of the beam splitter comprising a multilayer coated surface. 9. The apparatus of claim 7, the single integral structure comprising one of two parts glued together and three parts glued together. 10. The apparatus of claim 7, the single integral structure comprising a pentaprism. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a stop positioned adjacent to and distal to the prism assembly. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a liquid crystal based focusing element positioned adjacent to and distal to the stop. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, the prism assembly further comprising a distal face through which the received light enters the prism assembly, and the apparatus further comprising a first optical path length from the distal face to the first sensor surface and a second optical path length from the distal face to the second sensor surface, the first optical path length being about equal to the second optical path length. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, the prism assembly further comprising a distal face through which the received light enters the prism assembly, and the apparatus further comprising a first optical path length from the distal face to the first sensor surface and a second optical path length from the distal face to the second sensor surface, the first optical path length being different in length from the second optical path length, wherein the difference in length of the first and second optical path lengths is configured to provide a difference in focus between the images acquired by the first image capture sensor and by the second image capture sensor. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, the first surface of the beam splitter further comprising: a coated surface configured to reflect the first portion of the received light and to transmit the second portion of the received light. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the received light is a first percentage of the received light, and the second portion of the received light is a second percentage of the received light. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second percentages are about equal. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first and second percentages are different percentages. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second image capture sensors comprises a color image capture sensor. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second image capture sensors comprises a color image capture sensor, and wherein an other of the first and second image capture sensors comprises a monochrome image capture sensor. 21. A method comprising: receiving, by a prism assembly, light from a common front end optical system, the prism assembly including a beam splitter and a second surface;reflecting, by a first surface of the beam splitter, a first portion of the received light and passing a second portion of the received light;reflecting in a first direction, by the second surface of the prism assembly, the reflected light from the first surface of the beam splitter to a first image capture sensor of an image capture unit;directing in the first direction, by a reflective unit, the second portion of the received light to a second image capture sensor of the image capture unit;capturing, in the first image capture sensor of the image capture unit, a first image from the first portion of the received light;capturing, in the second image capture sensor of the image capture unit, a second image from the second portion of the received light, wherein a first sensor surface of the first image capture sensor is in a first plane, a second sensor surface of the second image capture sensor is in a second plane, and the first and second planes are substantially parallel and are separated by a known distance.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (14)
Moll, Frederic H.; Rosa, David J.; Ramans, Andris D.; Blumenkranz, Stephen J.; Guthart, Gary S.; Niemeyer, Gunter D.; Nowlin, William C.; Salisbury, Jr., J. Kenneth; Tierney, Michael J.; Mintz, David, Arm cart for telerobotic surgical system.
Takahashi Susumu,JPX ; Nakamura Shinichi,JPX ; Takebayashi Tsutomu,JPX, Stereoscopic endoscope objective lens system having a plurality of front lens groups and one common rear lens group.
Tierney Michael J. ; Cooper Thomas G. ; Julian Chris A. ; Blumenkranz Stephen J. ; Guthart Gary S. ; Younge Robert G., Surgical robotic tools, data architecture, and use.
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