RECEIVER APERTURE BROADENING FOR SCANNED BEAM IMAGING

• US 20090002794A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Malik, Amjad I., Wiklof, Christopher A., Lewis, John R., Weir, Michael P., James, Richard A., Watson, Mathew D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/213.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00167 Details of optical fibre bundles, e.g. shape or fibre distribution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0017 Details of single optical fibres, e.g. material or cladding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00172 with means for scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00179 for off-axis viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00181 for multiple fixed viewing angles A61B1/00193 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/04 formed by bundles of fibres G02B6/24 takes precedence

Abstract

A scanning beam assembly includes a beam generator to generate a beam of radiation; at least one reflector configured to deflect the beam across a field of view; and a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers for receiving radiation reflected from the field of view, wherein the optical fibers have end surfaces that face in at least two different directions, or wherein the optical fibers are configured to receive scattered radiation from an angular field of view larger than that determined by their individual numerical apertures.

Claims

1. A scanning beam assembly comprising:

a beam generator to generate a beam of radiation;

at least one reflector configured to deflect the beam across a field of view; and

a light collecting fiber bundle including a fiber body which contains a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers and which is disposed for each multi-mode optical fiber to receive radiation reflected from the field of view, wherein the optical fibers have end surfaces that face in at least two different directions, wherein the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to transmit radiation to the field of view, and wherein the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to directly receive any of the beam of radiation deflected from any of the at least one reflector.

2. The scanning beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the fiber body has a longitudinal axis and includes a first group of fibers that form a core of the light collecting fiber bundle and at least one additional group of fibers that form an annulus surrounding the core.

3. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the fibers in the core have end surfaces that face perpendicular the longitudinal axis of the fibers and the fibers in the annulus have end surfaces that face at angles to the longitudinal axis of the fiber.

4. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the fibers in the annulus extend further towards the field of view than the fibers in the core.

5. The scanning beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in combination form a parabolic surface.

6. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form a parabolic surface.

7. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form a faceted surface.

8. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the core in combination form a faceted surface.

9. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form a faceted surface.

10. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the core in combination form a multi-faceted surface.

11. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form a multi-faceted surface.

12. The scanning beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in combination form a multi-faceted surface.

13. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form a hemispherical surface.

14. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the core in combination form a hemispherical surface.

15. The scanning beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in the annulus in combination form one or more facets.

16. The scanning beam assembly of claim 15 wherein the facets collect light from different areas of the field of view.

17. The scanning beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the end surfaces of the fibers in combination form a hemispherical surface.

18. The scanning beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of multi-mode fibers form an end surface and the end surface is coated with a diffusive material that directs light to the end surface from different areas of the field of view.

19. The scanning beam assembly of claim 18 wherein the plurality of multi-mode fibers have end surfaces coated with a diffusive material so as to increase the fiber numerical aperture.

20. The scanning beam assembly of claim 18 wherein the diffusive material is reflective particles.

21. A scanning beam assembly comprising:

a beam generator to generate a beam of radiation;

at least one reflector configured to deflect the beam across a field of view; and

a light collecting fiber bundle including a fiber body which contains a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers and which is disposed for each multi-mode optical fiber to receive radiation reflected from the field of view, wherein the plurality of optical fibers include fibers splayed such that their end surfaces face two or more different areas within the field of view to receive radiation from different areas within the field of view, wherein the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to transmit radiation to the field of view, and wherein the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to directly receive any of the beam of radiation deflected from any of the at least one reflector.

22. The scanning beam assembly of claim 21 wherein at least one of the multi-mode optical fibers have an end surface which is coated with a material that directs light to the end surface of the fiber from different areas of the field of view.

23. The scanning beam assembly of claim 21 wherein the light collecting fiber bundle is made up of two or more groups of fibers that extend from the light collecting fiber bundle, wherein each group has an end face that faces an area in the field of view that is different than the areas of the field of view that the end faces of the other groups face.

24. A scanning beam assembly comprising:

a scanned beam generator operable to scan a beam of radiation across a field of view; and

a light collecting fiber bundle which includes a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers aligned to receive scanned radiation scattered from the field of view, wherein the optical fibers have respective end surfaces that face in at least two different directions, wherein the light collecting fiber bundle does not include any optical fiber which is disposed to transmit radiation to the field of view, and wherein the light collecting fiber bundle does not include any optical fiber which is disposed to directly receive any of the scanned beam of radiation from the scanned beam generator.

25. The scanned beam assembly of claim 24 wherein the plurality of multi-mode fibers comprises a first plurality of multi-mode fibers having ends cut at a first angle and a second plurality of multi-mode fibers having ends cut at a second angle different than the first angle.

26. The scanned beam assembly of claim 24 wherein the plurality of multi-mode fibers comprises a first plurality of multi-mode fibers splayed to face a first direction and a second plurality of multi-mode fibers splayed to face a second direction different than the first direction.

27. A method for increasing the field of view of a scanned beam imager comprising:

scanning a beam of radiation using the scanned beam imager;

collecting radiation from a first region of a field of view with a first group of multi-mode fibers; and

collecting radiation from a second region of a field of view different from the first region with a second group of multi-mode fibers.

28. A scanned beam endoscope comprising:

a scanned-beam-endoscope beam scanner operable to scan a field of view having a center; and

at least one collection multi-mode fiber configured to collect radiation preferentially from a location peripheral to the center of the field of view.

29. A scanning beam assembly comprising:

a scanned beam generator operable to scan a beam of light across a field of view; and

a light collecting fiber bundle which includes a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers disposed to receive light scattered from the field of view, wherein the optical fibers have end surfaces that face in at least two different directions, wherein the light collecting fiber bundle does not include any optical fiber which is disposed to transmit light to the field of view, and wherein the light collecting fiber bundle body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to directly receive any of the scanned beam of light from the scanned beam generator.