Direct-view-type confocal point optical system
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorTakeshi Suga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A direct-view-type confocal point optical system having a design wherein noise in the return light from an object being viewed is suppressed by ensuring that light reflected from various optical component surfaces is reflected away from the image light returned from the object being viewed. This is accomplished by insuring that any planar transmission or reflecting surfaces are non-normal to the scanning light, and by folding the light path at least 90 degrees, thereby enabling a longer optical path length than the actual distance between a point source of light source and an object being viewed so that the optical signal “noise” in the direct-view, confocal point optical system image is minimized.
Claims9
A direct-view-type confocal point optical system capable of being inserted within a channel of an endoscope, said direct-view-type confocal point optical system comprising:
- an aperture that serves as a point source of light rays emitted within a cone angle along a first optical axis;
- an optical scanning system having several reflecting surfaces which include at least one scanning mirror to scan the light from the point light source;
- a condensing optical system having a second optical axis, said condensing optical system forming an image of said point light source on a surface;
- wherein
- the several reflecting surfaces of the optical scanning system are arranged so that each reflecting surface is inclined at a non-normal angle to said light rays, and
- said first optical axis is within 30 degrees of being parallel to said second optical axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.