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US 5,103,497 AGranted
Flying spot endoscope
OwnerJohn W. Hicksinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fiber optic scanning system having a multifiber. The multifiber having a first group of cores having an index of refraction N1 and a second group of cores having an index of refraction N2. The cores being positioned in a matrix. The cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group. The index difference between N1 and N2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group.
Claims61
A fiber optic scanning system comprising:
- a multifiber having a proximal end and a distal end, the multifiber having a first group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.1 ;
- a second group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.2, the cores being positioned in a matrix;
- the cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group;
- the indices N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being greater than the index of the surrounding matrix and the index difference between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the propagation constants in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group;
- means to scan the distal end of the cores in at least one dimension whereby said cores cyclically scan at least a line segment of an image formed in an image plane;
- and
- means to transmit an optical signal train to detect and to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal train and to modulate the electrical signal train into an electron beam which scans at the proximal end in a pattern analogous to the scan at the distal end.
4 more elements
A fiber optic scanning system comprising:
- a multifiber having a proximal end and a distal end and having a plurality of cores arrayed in a linear dimension, the cores phase mismatched to reduce cross talk and further comprising;
- a first group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.1 ;
- a second group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.2, the cores being positioned in a matrix;
- the cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group;
- the indices N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being greater than the index of the surrounding matrix and the index difference between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the propagation constants in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group;
- means to scan the distal end of the cores in at least one dimension whereby said cores cyclically scan at least a line segment of an image formed in an image plane;
- means to scan along an orthogonal dimension;
- and
- means to display the scanned image at the proximal end.
6 more elements
A fiber optic scanning system comprising:
- a multifiber having a proximal end and a distal end with a two dimensional array of phase mismatched cores, a first group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.1 ;
- a second group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.2, the cores being positioned in a matrix;
- the cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group;
- the indices N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being greater than the index of the surrounding matrix and the index difference between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the propagation constants in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group;
- means to scan the distal end in at least one dimension whereby said core cyclically scans at least a line segment of an image formed in an image plane;
- and
- means to display the scanned image at the proximal end.
4 more elements
A fiber optic scanning system which comprises:
- a multifiber having a proximal end and a distal end having a plurality of cores arrayed in a linear dimension, the cores having different indices of refraction, a first group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.1 ;
- a second group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.2, the cores being positioned in a matrix;
- the cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group;
- the indices N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being greater than the index of the surrounding matrix and the index difference between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the propagation constants in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group;
- means to scan the distal end of the cores in at least one dimension whereby said cores cyclically scan at least a line segment of an image formed in an image plane;
- means to scan along an orthogonal dimension;
- and
- means to display the scanned image at the proximal end.
5 more elements
A fiber optic scanning system comprising:
- a multifiber having a proximal end and a distal end with a two dimensional array of cores, the cores having different indices of refraction, a first group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.1 ;
- a second group of cores having an index of refraction N.sub.2, the cores being positioned in a matrix;
- the cores of the groups being arrayed so that the adjacent cores of any core are members of the other group;
- the indices N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being greater than the index of the surrounding matrix and the index difference between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 being great enough to produce substantial mismatch in the propagation constants in the cores and to substantially reduce cross talk between any core of one group and any core of the other group;
- means to scan the distal end in one dimension to cyclically scans at least a line segment of an image formed in an image plane;
- and
- means to display the image at the proximal end.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.