	US 11,805,984 B2
	Dynamic aperture positioning for stereo endoscopic cameras
Ian E. McDowall, Woodside, CA (US); and Arthur Louis Berman, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/998,056.
Application 16/998,056 is a continuation of application No. 16/443,774, filed on Jun. 17, 2019, granted, now 10,754,241.
Application 16/443,774 is a continuation of application No. 15/956,655, filed on Apr. 18, 2018, granted, now 10,365,554, issued on Jul. 30, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/652,826, filed on Apr. 4, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0379334 A1, Dec. 3, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 1/00 (2006.01); G03B 35/10 (2021.01); G03B 35/18 (2021.01); G03B 17/02 (2021.01); G02B 23/24 (2006.01); H04N 13/225 (2018.01); G02B 30/34 (2020.01)

CPC A61B 1/00193 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00009 (2013.01); G02B 23/2415 (2013.01); G03B 17/02 (2013.01); G03B 35/10 (2013.01); G03B 35/18 (2013.01); G02B 30/34 (2020.01); H04N 13/225 (2018.05)]

20 Claims

1. A stereoscopic endoscope comprising:

at least one image sensor for sensing a first image and a second image of a pair of stereo images, the first image being sensed based on light passing through a first aperture within the stereoscopic endoscope, and the second image being sensed based on light passing through a second aperture within the stereoscopic endoscope; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between two layers of glass comprising a first arrangement of electrodes, such that each of the first aperture and the second aperture is created in the liquid crystal layer using a portion of the first arrangement of electrodes,

wherein a spacing between the first aperture and the second aperture, and a polarization state associated with each of the first and second apertures are controlled using corresponding control signals provided through the first arrangement of electrodes.