Endoscope with fiber optic transmission of digital video
First Claim
1. A video endoscope system, comprising:
- an endoscope with a distal end and a proximal end;
an imaging chip located at the distal end of the endoscope; and
an optical fiber, the optical fiber being used for transmitting signals from the imaging chip.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A video endoscope in which the imaging chip at the distal tip is connected to the proximal connector and operator console by an optical fiber. Video data (preferably digital) is impressed on the optical fiber by a pulse-code modulator (PCM) circuit and light emitter with lensing. A small, inexpensive, flexible optical fiber in the endoscope body conveys the PCM optical data to the receiving circuit, preferably via an optical connector at the proximal end of the endoscope, and to decoding and display circuits in the operator console. The fiber optic transmission overcomes the difficulty of electrical transmission of wide band (digital video) signals via miniature cables, which can be expensive, bulky, inflexible, susceptible to noise and interference, and constitute a potential electrical safety risk by leakage currents. The PCM circuits may be integrated into the camera chip.
88 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A video endoscope system, comprising:
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an endoscope with a distal end and a proximal end;
an imaging chip located at the distal end of the endoscope; and
an optical fiber, the optical fiber being used for transmitting signals from the imaging chip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A video endoscope, comprising:
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an encoding circuit; and
an optical fiber, wherein video data is impressed on the optical fiber by the encoding circuit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An endoscope system, comprising:
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an imaging chip located at the distal end of the endoscope;
an operator console; and
an optical fiber, wherein the imaging chip is coupled through the optical fiber to the operator console. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification