Methods and devices for enabling active monitoring and communications between medical fiber optic catheters and medical laser light systems

A fiber optic catheter apparatus, comprising:

• a catheter including an optical fiber or optical fiber bundle terminating at an optical output aperture;
• a catheter-side coupler including a plurality of electrically conductive pins;
• and
• an electronic processor programmed transmit information about the fiber optic catheter apparatus to an associated light source in response to an electrical connection of the catheter-side coupler with a source-side coupler of the associated light source via the electrically conductive pins;
• wherein a physical configuration of the plurality of electrically conductive pins encodes at least a portion of the information about the fiber optic catheter apparatus.

A light system for injecting light into a fiber optic catheter, the light system comprising:

• a light source;
• a fiber optic catheter apparatus, comprising:
• a catheter including an optical fiber or optical fiber bundle terminating at an optical output aperture;
• a catheter-side coupler including a plurality of electrically conductive pins;
• and
• a fiber optic catheter electronic processor disposed in the catheter-side coupler and programmed transmit information about the fiber optic catheter apparatus to the light source;
• wherein a physical configuration of the plurality of electrically conductive pins encodes at least a portion of the information about the fiber optic catheter apparatus;
• and
• a source-side coupler for injecting light from the light source into the fiber optic catheter apparatus via a connection of the source-side coupler with the catheter-side coupler, the source-side coupler comprising:
• an optical coupler configured to inject light from the light source into the fiber optic catheter via the connection;
• a plurality of mechanical switches configured to be engaged by the electrically-conductive pins of the catheter-side coupler during the connection;
• at least two electrical lines;
• and
• a source-side electronic processor programmed to receive information from the fiber optic catheter via the connection by:
• electrically receiving the information if the connection establishes an electrical connection between the source-side electronic processor and the fiber optic catheter via the at least two electrical lines, or
• mechanically receiving the information based on which mechanical switches of the plurality of mechanical switches are engaged by pins of the catheter-side coupler if the connection does not establish an electrical connection between the electronic processor and the fiber optic catheter via the at least two electrical lines.