Method and apparatus for fiberscope employing single fiber bundle for co-propagation of image and illumination

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment providing one or more improvements includes an endoscope which utilizes a single coherent fiber bundle for simultaneously carrying imaging and illumination light.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An endoscope working assembly, comprising:
 an elongated coherent fiber bundle including a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the coherent fiber bundle includes a plurality of different fibers that are surrounded by a common cladding and the coherent fiber bundle is configured to transfer light between the distal and proximal ends using the fibers;   an elongated probe having a distal end for insertion into a viewing area and a proximal end for manipulating the distal end of the probe, and wherein the distal end of the elongated coherent fiber bundle is positioned at the distal end of the probe;   a lens arrangement positioned at the distal end of the elongated probe, the lens arrangement including an illumination portion arranged to receive illumination light emitted from the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle and to disperse the illumination light into the viewing area, the lens arrangement also including an imaging portion that is different than the illumination portion and that is arranged to receive image light from the viewing area that includes illumination light reflected from the viewing area and to insert the image light into the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle for transfer of the image light to the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle, wherein the coherent fiber bundle simultaneously emits the illumination light and receives the image light; and   a working assembly connector portion of an optical connector for selectively optically coupling the working assembly to an imaging assembly having an imaging assembly connector portion of the optical connector, the working assembly connector portion connected to the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle and arranged to simultaneously transfer image light to the imaging assembly through coherent fiber bundle and receive illumination light from the imaging assembly through the coherent fiber bundle.   
     
     
         2 . The endoscope working assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the illumination portion of the lens arrangement includes a light guide cylinder and the imaging portion of the lens arrangement includes a GRIN lens. 
     
     
         3 . The endoscope working assembly as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a Y-tube handle that is configured to support the proximal end of the probe, and wherein the probe includes a working channel that extends through the probe from the distal end of the probe to the handle and which is configured to receive and guide endoscopic tools between the handle and the distal end of the probe.   
     
     
         4 . An endoscope, comprising:
 an elongated coherent fiber bundle including a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the coherent fiber bundle includes a plurality of different fibers that are surrounded by a common cladding and the coherent fiber bundle is configured to transfer light between the distal and proximal ends using the fibers;   a working assembly including an elongated probe having a distal end for insertion into a viewing area and a proximal end for manipulating the distal end of the probe, and wherein the distal end of the elongated coherent fiber bundle is positioned at the distal end of the probe, the working assembly including a lens arrangement positioned at the distal end of the probe and configured for transferring image light from the viewing area into the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle which carries the image light to the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle and for transferring illumination light from distal end of the coherent fiber bundle into the viewing area;   an imaging assembly including a viewing device for receiving and modifying the image light for viewing, and wherein the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle is positioned at the imaging assembly and the imaging assembly includes an objective lens that is configured to transfer the image light from the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle to the viewing device;   an illumination light source arrangement, forming part of the imaging assembly, for inserting illumination light into the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle which transfers the illumination light to the distal end of coherent fiber bundle, the coherent fiber bundle simultaneously carrying the illumination light and the image light using the same fibers in the fiber bundle, the illumination light source arrangement producing polarized illumination light in a first orientation; and   a polarizing beam splitter, forming part of the imaging assembly, and arranged to receive the first orientation polarized illumination light from the illumination light source arrangement and for reflecting the first orientation polarized illumination light into the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle for transfer by the coherent fiber bundle to the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle to illuminate the viewing area, wherein the coherent fiber bundle and the viewing area randomize the polarization of the first orientation polarized light and the coherent fiber bundle also randomizes the polarization of the image light, which includes illumination light that is reflected by the viewing area; the polarizing beam splitter is also configured to reflect polarized light having the first orientation received from the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle, toward the illumination light source arrangement, the polarizing beam splitter arranged in a path of the image light between the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle and the imaging assembly objective lens, and the polarizing beam splitter is configured to pass image light, that includes a second polarized orientation that is different than the first polarized orientation, to the imaging assembly objective lens for transfer to the viewing device.   
     
     
         5 . A method for endoscopically imaging a viewing area in a cavity, comprising:
 inserting a distal end of an endoscope probe into the cavity, the endoscope probe including a coherent fiber bundle having a plurality of different fibers that are surrounded by a common cladding and the coherent fiber bundle is configured to transfer light between a distal end and a proximal end through the fibers, the coherent fiber bundle arranged with the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle at the distal end of the probe;   inserting an illumination light into the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle which transfers the illumination light from the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle to the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle;   dispersing the illumination light from the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle into the viewing area of the cavity;   receiving image light from the viewing area and inserting the image light into the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle which transfers the image light from the distal end of the coherent fiber bundle to the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle, the image light including illumination light reflected from the viewing area, wherein the coherent fiber bundle simultaneously transfers the illumination light and the image light; and   guiding the image light from the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle to a viewing device and using the image light and the viewing device to display an image of the viewing area.   
     
     
         6 . The method as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the illumination light is inserted into a first portion of the coherent fiber bundle fibers and the image light is inserted into a second, different portion of the coherent fiber bundle fibers. 
     
     
         7 . The method as defined in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 polarizing the illumination light with a certain polarized orientation before inserting the illumination light into the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle; and   blocking polarized light having only the certain polarized orientation from passing from the proximal end of the coherent fiber bundle to the viewing device.