US Patent 8721525 Endoscope system with a modulated radiation source

An endoscope system includes a radiation source which emits a modulated radiation and is applied in a manner such that an object to be examined by an endoscope may be illuminated with the radiation. A sensor is provided for detecting the radiation reflected by the object,at at least one picture point. An evaluation device obtains readings of the detected radiation from the sensor, determines phase differences on the basis of these readings, and computes the distance of the object to the sensor device on the basis of these phase differences. A corresponding supplementary module for an endoscope and endoscope optics with these features are also provided.