Rotational scanning endoscope

A rotational scanning endoscope:

• a substantially transparent tube configured for insertion into a specimen, the tube having an outer cylindrical surface;
• a motor external to the tube and configured to rotate an axial member that defines a longitudinal axis, wherein the motor rotates at a first rotating speed;
• and
• an imaging module mounted to the axial member located within the substantially transparent tube, wherein the imaging module is configured to rotationally scan a circumferential surface outside the tube during a rotation of the axial member, wherein the imaging module includes:
• an illuminator configured to provide illumination to a longitudinal segment of the specimen;
• a lens array configured to project an image of an illuminated segment of the specimen to an image sensor;
• and
• the image sensor configured to capture the image of the illuminated segment, wherein the illuminator, lens array and image sensor are co-extensive along a length of the longitudinal axis, wherein the first rotating speed of the motor is calibrated to match a frame rate of the image sensor, wherein the image sensor is located at a total conjugate distance from the outer cylindrical surface of the tube and wherein the lens array is located equidistance to the outer cylindrical surface of the tube and to the image sensor;
• wherein the motor, the tube, and the axial member are co-axially aligned along the longitudinal axis and wherein the motor rotates the axial member about the longitudinal axis;
• wherein the imaging module captures multiple images of illuminated segments with each image of the multiple images being captured at a sample time.