Optic light guide, endoscope, method for producing and using an optic light guide
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsHannes Joseph, Philip Stengel, Ralf Kleiser, Björn Kuhwe, Sebastian Petsch
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Abstract
An optic light guide includes a plurality of light-guiding single fibres which are combined into a bundle and at least one sheath which encloses at least one section of an outer circumference of the bundle, the at least one sheath being made of ceramic. The optic light guide may be arranged in an area of a tip of an endoscope.
Claims20
An optic light guide comprising a bundle of light-guiding single fibres and at least one sheath which covers an outer circumference of at least one section of the bundle, characterised in that the at least one sheath is made of ceramic and is arranged in an area of a tip of an endoscope and the optic light guide changes direction in the area of the tip of the endoscope to align a front face of the optic light guide with an angled face of the tip of the endoscope.
An endoscope comprising:
- a shaft;
- a tip at a distal end of the shaft;
- and
- an optic light guide configured to guide light between the distal end and a proximal end of the shaft, the optic light guide comprising a bundle of light-guiding single fibres and a sheath that covers an outer circumference of a section of the bundle, characterised in that the sheath is made of ceramic and is arranged in an area of the tip of the endoscope.
An optic light guide comprising a bundle of light-guiding single fibres and at least one sheath that covers an outer circumference of at least one section of the bundle, characterized in that the at least one sheath is arranged within a distal end of an endoscope shaft, is made of ceramic, and comprises a cross-section that varies in shape along at least one part of its course.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.