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Beam steering for optical fibers and other related devices

DC
  • US 6,144,791 A
  • Filed: 03/12/1999
  • Issued: 11/07/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A fiber optic assembly for light-based characterization of a highly spatially specific region within an investigative medium comprising:

  • a light delivery fiber comprising a main section and a distally located terminal end,a light collection fiber, parallel and substantially adjacent to the light-delivery fiber, comprising a main section and a distally located terminal end,a three-dimensional illumination pattern extending externally outward from an illumination surface region on said assembly and defining at least one illumination optical axis intersecting the illumination surface region,a three-dimensional collection pattern extending externally outward from a collection surface region on said assembly and defining at least one collection optical axis intersecting the collection surface region, said illumination surface region and said collection surface region encompassed within a contiguous surface region on said assembly, anda beam steering element, positioned between said contiguous surface region and at least one of the light delivery fiber main section and the light collection fiber main section, operable to deflect a stream of photons between traveling along an optical fiber'"'"'s longitudinal axis and a trajectory departing from the fiber'"'"'s longitudinal axis, said beam steering element comprising means for deflecting photons traveling through said element while said photons are resident within said beam steering element,said beam steering element causing a converging of the illumination optical axis and the collection optical axis in close proximity to said contiguous surface region and providing for a highly spatially specific region within the investigative medium to which light-based characterization is biased.

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