US 12,422,663 B2
Camera head and imaging system
Motohiro Misawa, Saitama (JP); and Susumu Yagi, Saitama (JP)
Assigned to TANAKA ENGINEERING INC., Saitama (JP)
Appl. No. 19/105,607
Filed by TANAKA ENGINEERING INC., Saitama (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 18, 2024, PCT No. PCT/JP2024/037275
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 21, 2025,
PCT Pub. No. WO2025/089207, PCT Pub. Date May 1, 2025.
Claims priority of application No. 2023-183689 (JP), filed on Oct. 26, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0264711 A1, Aug. 21, 2025
Int. Cl. G02B 23/24 (2006.01); H04N 23/50 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01)
CPC G02B 23/2469 (2013.01) [G02B 23/2423 (2013.01); G02B 23/2484 (2013.01); H04N 23/555 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A camera head that has an elongated shape and is used for imaging an imaging area located in a vicinity of a leading end portion in a longitudinal direction, comprising:
a camera module;
two or more light source units disposed at positions farther from the leading end portion than the camera module is in the longitudinal direction; and
a light guide unit disposed radially outside an outer surface of the camera module and configured to guide light emitted from each of the two or more light source units to the vicinity of the leading end portion so that the imaging area is irradiated with the light,
wherein at least two light source units of the two or more light source units are disposed at different positions in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the light guide unit includes two or more optical fibers respectively corresponding to at least two light source units of the two or more light source units, and the two or more optical fibers are disposed around the camera module so as to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction and lined up in the circumferential direction, and
wherein, of the two or more light source units, at least two light source units located at different positions in the longitudinal direction are disposed so as to partially overlap each other when viewed from a front in the longitudinal direction.