Optical viewing port assembly for a miniature inspection TV camera

An optical viewing port assembly for a miniature cylindrical television camera housing having a viewing axis, which assembly comprises:

• (a) a support member including a tubular body portion one end of which is hermetically sealable to the cylindrical camera housing as an extension thereof, an inwardly extending flange portion at the other end of the tubular body portion with a central aperture through the flange portion aligned along the viewing axis, and an annular portion extending from the flange portion in the direction away from the tubular body portion and about the viewing axis;
• (b) a high refractive index light transmissive optical plug passing through the central aperture through the flange portion and through the annular portion, which optical plug is supported from and hermetically sealed to the flange portion of the support member along the camera optical axis, which plug has a radial dimension and a thickness, such that when the assembly is connected to the camera housing which includes a camera focus lens and the plug is closely spaced from the lens, the camera field of view is reduced along the plug without reducing the usable camera image area, which plug extends for a distance along the optical axis sufficient to permit a relatively high power miniature light source to be mounted and spaced radially about the plug so that the light source is not within the camera field of view;
• and
• (c) at least one relatively high power miniature light source mounted from the support member and disposed about the support member annular portion and the optical plug, with electrical connection means hermetically and insulatingly sealed through the flange portion of the support member to provide electrical connection to one terminal of the light source, and wherein the support member is conductive and is connected to the other terminal of the light source as the electrical return.