Integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter

Claim 2

An integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter comprising a housing including a first hollowed-out area located at one end thereof and a pair of axially aligned openings, one of which extends from the exterior of a surface of the housing into the interior of said first hollowed-out area and the other of said opening extending from the interior of said first hollowed-out area to the exterior of an opposed surface of the housing, said housing including a second hollowed-out area which is located substantially perpendicular to and which communicates with said first hollowed-out area, said second hollowed-out area having an aperture which extends from the interior of said second hollowed-out area to the exterior of a planar surface of said housing, which planar surface is substantially perpendicular to said surface and said opposed surface having one of said pair of openings; means operatively connected to said housing for attaching an optical device, which is adapted to produce an optical image to the housing wherein a said optical image is directed through said one of said pair of openings and into said first hollowed-out area and out through the other of said pair of openings; viewing means operatively coupled to said housing and positioned in axial alignment with said other one opening of said pair of openings to enable a viewer to observe a said optical image from a said optical device; a beam splitter positioned within said first hollowed-out area and between said pair of openings to receive through said one opening said optical image and for passing a portion of a said optical image at a light intensity which is less than one-half of the intensity of a said optical image through a first optical path including said other opening and through said viewing means and for deflecting the remainder of said optical image through a second optical path substantially perpendicular to the axis of said axially aligned pair of openings; a prism positioned within said first hollowed-out area and adjacent said beam splitter and along said second optical path to receive and deflect the remainder of a said optical image from said beam splitter into said second hollowed-out area and through said aperture; light intensity adjusting means positioned in said second hollowed-out area and along said second optical path between said prism and aperture for controlling the intensity of that portion of a said optical image at the planar surface of the housing; and means including a lens operatively coupled to said housing on said planar surface at said aperture for coupling a recording means to said second hollowed-out area along said second optical path to record a said optical image having a controlled intensity.

Claim 3

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 1 wherein said light intensity adjusting means is an adjustable iris.

Claim 4

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 2 wherein said housing includes a third hollowed-out area located adjacent said second hollowed-out area with the axis thereof substantially perpendicular to the axis of said first hollowed-out area and means defining a passageway between said second hollowed-out area and said third hollowed-out area and further comprising an iris drive motor located in said third hollowed-out area.

Claim 5

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 3 wherein said housing further comprises a fourth hollowed-out area located contiguous said third hollowed-out area; and an iris drive mechanism operatively coupled to the adjustable iris and to said iris drive motor, said iris drive motor being responsive to a control signal for driving said adjustable iris through said gear drive mechanism in at least one of a clockwise and counterclockwise direction in response to a control signal.

Claim 6

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 1 further comprising a video camera operatively coupled to said housing by said recording means coupling means for producing a video information signal of a said optical image produced by a said optical device.

Claim 7

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 1 further comprising an endoscope operatively coupled to said housing by said optical device attaching means for producing an optical image to be recorded by a recording means.

Claim 8

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 4 wherein said adjustable iris includes an adjustable iris mechanism which is adapted to cooperate with said iris drive mechanism to rotate said adjustable iris.

Claim 9

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 4 wherein said housing includes an adjustment opening extending from the interior of said fourth hollowed-out area to the exterior of said housing, said adjustment opening being located at a position to enable a user to manually adjust said adjustable iris to control the light intensity of a said optical image at said aperture.

Claim 10

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 2 wherein said viewing means is an eyepiece.

Claim 11

An integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter for use with a video camera and an optical device which produces an optical image which is to be recorded by said video camera, said adapter comprising housing means including a first hollowed-out area and a second hollowed-out area located substantially perpendicular to said first hollowed-out area, said second hollowed-out area communicating with said first hollowed-out area at one end thereof, said housing including means for defining a pair of axially aligned openings which extend from the exterior of said housing into the interior of said first hollowed-out area, said housing including means for defining an aperture which extends from the interior of the second hollowed-out area to the exterior of the housing such that the aperture is located on a housing service which is substantially perpendicular to said pair of aligned openings; means operatively connected to said housing for attaching an optical device, which is adapted to produce an optical image, to the housing wherein a said optical image is directed through said one of said pair of openings and into said first hollowed-out area and out through the other of said pair of openings; an eyepiece operatively coupled to said housing and positioned in axial alignment with said other one opening of said pair of openings to enable a viewer to observe a said optical image from a said optical device; a beam splitter positioned within said first hollowed-out area and between said pair of openings to receive through said one opening said optical image and for passing a portion of a said optical image at a light intensity which is less than one-half of the intensity of a said optical image through a first optical path including said other opening and through said eyepiece and for deflecting the remainder of said optical image through a second optical path substantially perpendicular to the axis of said axially aligned pair of openings; a prism positioned within said first hollowed-out area and adjacent said beam splitter along said second optical path to receive and deflect the remainder of said optical image from said beam splitter into said second hollowed-out area and through said aperture; a variable iris positioned in said second hollowed-out area and along said second optical path between said prism and said aperture for selectively controlling the intensity of that portion of a said optical image at the planar surface of the housing; and means including a lens for operatively coupling a said video camera on said planar surface at said aperture to position the lens along said second optical path to record a said optical image having a controlled intensity at the imaging surface of a said video camera.

Claim 12

An integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter for use with a video camera and an optical device which produces an optical image which is to be recorded by said video camera, said adapter comprising housing means including a first hollowed-out area and a second hollowed-out area located substantially perpendicular to said first hollowed-out area, said second hollowed-out area communicating with said first hollowed-out area at one end thereof, said housing including means for defining a pair of axially aligned openings which extend from the exterior of said housing into the interior of said first hollowed-out area, said housing including means for defining an aperture which extends from the interior of the second hollowed-out area to the exterior of the housing such that the aperture is located on a housing service which is substantially perpendicular to said pair of aligned openings; means operatively connected to said housing for attaching an optical device, which is adapted to produce an optical image, to the housing wherein a said optical image is directed through said one of said pair of openings and into said first hollowed-out area and out through the other of said pair of openings; an eyepiece operatively coupled to said housing and positioned in axial alignment with said other one opening of said pair of openings to enable a viewer to observe a said optical image from a said optical device; a beam splitter positioned within said first hollowed-out area and between said pair of openings to receive through said one opening said optical image and for passing a portion of a said optical image at a light intensity which is less than one-half of the intensity of a said optical image through a first optical path including said other opening and through said eyepiece and for deflecting the remainder of said optical image through a second optical path substantially perpendicular to the axis of said axially aligned pair of openings; a prism positioned within said first hollowed-out area and adjacent said beam splitter along said second optical path to receive and deflect the remainder of said optical image from said beam splitter into said second hollowed-out area and through said aperture; a variable iris positioned in said second hollowed-out area and along said second optical path between said prism and said aperture for selectively controlling the intensity of that portion of a said optical image at the planar surface of the housing; and means including a lens for operatively coupling a said video camera on said planar surface at said aperture to position the lens along said second optical path to record a said optical image having a controlled intensity at the imaging surface of a said video camera.

Claim 13

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 10 wherein said housing includes a third hollowed-out area located adjacent said second hollowed-out area with the axis thereof substantially perpendicular to the axis of said first hollowed-out area and the axis of said third hollowed-out area and further comprising an iris drive motor located in said third hollowed-out area.

Claim 14

The integrated beam splitter and adjustable light intensity control adapter of claim 11 wherein said housing further comprises a fourth hollowed-out area located contiguous said third hollowed-out area; and an iris drive mechanism coupled to the adjustable iris and to said iris drive motor, said iris drive motor being responsive to a control signal for driving said adjustable iris through said iris drive mechanism in at least one of a clockwise and counterclockwise direction in response to a said control signal.