Endoscope lighting system and endoscope

Abstract

The endoscope illuminating system comprises a light source module, a beam splitter, a first light guide optical fiber and a second light guide optical fiber, the light source module is provided with a light emitting light path, the beam splitter corresponds to the light source module and is obliquely arranged relative to the light emitting light path, and the light source module irradiates light rays of the beam splitter along the light emitting light path. The light transmitted by the beam splitter is coupled to the first light guide optical fiber, and the light reflected by the beam splitter is coupled to the second light guide optical fiber. By means of the light splitting characteristic of the beam splitter, transmission light coupled to the first light guide optical fiber and reflection light coupled to the second light guide optical fiber have the same spectral component, the first light guide optical fiber or the second light guide optical fiber can adopt a single optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle, and uniform illumination of multiple illumination points is achieved. The optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or silica optical fibers does not need to be divided into two groups or multiple groups to achieve multi-illumination-point illumination, so that the process can be greatly simplified, and the cost of an optical path device is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of endoscopes, and in particular to an endoscope lighting system and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] The endoscope light source can be used to provide illumination for the internal cavity inspection. In the related art, generally two or more illumination points are arranged around the imaging module to achieve uniform illumination.

[0003] Current multi-illumination point light sources generally adopt a solution such as that disclosed in patent CN112515615B, in which the light emitted by the light source is coupled into a single optical fiber bundle through a color separation mirror (also called a dichroic mirror), and then the single optical fiber bundle is divided into two or more sub-fibers, one sub-fiber corresponding to one illumination point, thereby obtaining dual illumination points or more illumination points.

[0004] The optical fiber bundle of this scheme is generally formed by combining a large number of glass or quartz optical fiber strands. After the glass or quartz optical fiber strands are divided into two or more groups, two or more sub-optical fibers are obtained. However, the grouping process of glass or quartz optical fiber strands is relatively complicated and costly. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention provide an endoscope lighting system and an endoscope to reduce process difficulty and cost.

[0006] An endoscope lighting system, comprising:

[0007] A light source module having a light output path;

[0008] A beam splitter, corresponding to the light source module and arranged obliquely relative to the light output path; and

[0009] A first light-guiding optical fiber and a second light-guiding optical fiber, the light source module irradiates the light to the beam splitter along the light-emitting optical path, the light transmitted through the beam splitter is coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber, and the light reflected through the beam splitter is coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber.

[0010] In one embodiment, the endoscope illumination system comprises a first coupling mirror group and a second coupling mirror group, wherein the first coupling mirror group is arranged between the beam splitter and the first light guide fiber and is used to couple the light transmitted by the beam splitter to the first light guide fiber, and the second coupling mirror group is arranged between the beam splitter and the second light guide fiber and is used to couple the light reflected by the beam splitter to the second light guide fiber.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, at least two beam splitters are arranged between the light source module and the first light guiding fiber, and at least two second light guiding fibers are arranged and correspond one to one to the beam splitters; the light emitted from the light source module along the light output path is sequentially transmitted through all the beam splitters and coupled to the first light guiding fiber; the light emitted from the light source module along the light output path is reflected by any beam splitter and coupled to the corresponding second light guiding fiber.

[0012] In one embodiment, the transmission-reflection ratio of any beam splitter is (n+1):1, where n is the number of the beam splitters between the corresponding beam splitter and the first light guiding optical fiber.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first light-guiding optical fiber is a single optical fiber or a bundle of optical fibers, and the second light-guiding optical fiber is a single optical fiber or a bundle of optical fibers.

[0014] In one embodiment, the first light-guiding optical fiber and the second light-guiding optical fiber are both plastic optical fibers.

[0015] In one embodiment, the light source module includes a dichroic mirror and at least two light-emitting modules. The dichroic mirror is arranged in the light-emitting light path and is inclined relative to the light-emitting light path. The light from at least two light-emitting modules is combined by the dichroic mirror and irradiated to the beam splitter.

[0016] In one embodiment, more than two dichroic mirrors are arranged at intervals along the light-emitting optical path, the light source module includes a first light-emitting module located on the light-emitting optical path, and a second light-emitting module and a third light-emitting module located on the same side of the light-emitting optical path, at least one second light-emitting module is arranged and the third light-emitting module is closer to the beam splitter than the second light-emitting module; each second light-emitting module corresponds to one dichroic mirror, and the third light-emitting module corresponds to one dichroic mirror, and the sum of the number of the second light-emitting modules and the third light-emitting modules is equal to the number of the dichroic mirrors, the dichroic mirror is located between the first light-emitting module and the beam splitter, and the light emitted by the first light-emitting module is transmitted through all the dichroic mirrors in sequence and then irradiates the beam splitter; the light emitted by the second light-emitting module is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror, and then transmitted through the dichroic mirror between the corresponding dichroic mirror and the beam splitter, and then irradiates the beam splitter; the light emitted by the third light-emitting module is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror to the beam splitter.

[0017] In one embodiment, the endoscope lighting system includes any of the following solutions:

[0018] The light source module includes two different light-emitting modules;

[0019] The light source module includes at least two narrow-band light modules.

[0020] An endoscope comprises an imaging module and any one of the above-mentioned endoscope lighting systems, wherein the first light-guiding optical fiber and the second light-guiding optical fiber are arranged around the imaging module.

[0021] The above endoscope lighting system can be used for the lighting of the endoscope. The endoscope lighting system includes a light source module, a beam splitter, a first light guide fiber and a second light guide fiber. The light source module has a light output path. The beam splitter corresponds to the light source module and is tilted relative to the light output path. The light source module irradiates the light to the beam splitter along the light output path. The light transmitted by the beam splitter is coupled to the first light guide fiber, and the light reflected by the beam splitter is coupled to the second light guide fiber. By utilizing the light splitting characteristics of the beam splitter, part of the light irradiated to the beam splitter is reflected, and the remaining light is transmitted. The light irradiated to the beam splitter by the light source module can be fully utilized to avoid the waste of light energy and improve the lighting efficiency. Since the reflected light and the transmitted light of the beam splitter have the same spectral components, the transmitted light coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber has the same spectral components as the reflected light coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber. The first light-guiding optical fiber or the second light-guiding optical fiber can use a single optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle to achieve uniform illumination of multiple illumination points. There is no need to divide the optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or quartz optical fibers into two or more groups to achieve illumination of multiple illumination points. Therefore, the process can be greatly simplified and the cost of optical path components can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an implementation of a first embodiment of an endoscope lighting system of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another implementation of the first embodiment of the endoscope lighting system of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an endoscope lighting system of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of an endoscope lighting system of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5It is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the endoscope lighting system of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0031] First embodiment

[0032] refer to Figure 1 In the first embodiment of the present application, an endoscope lighting system 10 is disclosed. As a part of an endoscope, the endoscope lighting system 10 can provide lighting during an endocavity inspection. The endoscope can include an imaging module (not shown) and the endoscope lighting system 10. The light emitted by the endoscope lighting system 10 can irradiate physiological tissues, thereby providing an illumination light source for imaging of the imaging module.

[0033] The endoscope lighting system 10 may include a light source module 11, a beam splitter 12, a first light guide fiber 13 and a second light guide fiber 14. The light source module 11 has a light output path 11a, and the beam splitter 12 corresponds to the light source module 11 and is tilted relative to the light output path 11a. The beam splitter 12 has a light splitting characteristic of partially reflecting the incident light and transmitting the remaining light, and the reflected light and the transmitted light have the same spectral components. The light emitted by the light source module 11 along the light output path 11a to the beam splitter 12 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 13 by the light transmitted by the beam splitter 12, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 12 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 14. The first light guide fiber 13 and the second light guide fiber 14 can be arranged around the imaging module, so as to correspond to at least two illumination points, providing uniform illumination for the imaging module.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first light-guiding optical fiber 13 is a single optical fiber, and the single optical fiber can be a plastic optical fiber. Plastic optical fiber has a significant cost advantage over glass optical fiber and quartz optical fiber, and can reduce the cost of the endoscope lighting system 10. Of course, in other embodiments, the first light-guiding optical fiber 13 can also use an optical fiber bundle such as a glass or quartz optical fiber bundle, or a single glass or quartz optical fiber. Since there is no need to use a complex process to divide a single optical fiber bundle into two groups, or split it into three or more groups to obtain more than two lighting points, the embodiments of the present application can also reduce the process difficulty of the entire endoscope lighting system 10 and reduce the cost of optical path components.

[0035] In some embodiments, the second light-guiding optical fiber 14 is a single optical fiber, which may be a plastic optical fiber. Of course, in other embodiments, the second light-guiding optical fiber 14 may also be a fiber bundle, such as a glass or quartz fiber bundle, or a single glass or quartz fiber. Since there is no need to use a complex process to divide a single fiber bundle into two groups, or to split it into three or more groups to obtain more than two illumination points, the embodiments of the present application can also reduce the process difficulty of the entire endoscope illumination system 10 and reduce the cost of optical path components.

[0036] In the endoscope illumination system 10, illustratively, the transmission-reflection ratio of the beam splitter 12 is 1:1, that is, 50% of the light incident on the beam splitter 12 is transmitted and 50% is reflected. In this embodiment, the first light guide fiber 13 and the second light guide fiber 14 can be the same optical fiber, for example, the material, size, and performance of the optical fiber are consistent.

[0037] In other embodiments, the transmission-reflection ratio of the beam splitter 12 can be other values. In this embodiment, the first light-guiding optical fiber 13 and the second light-guiding optical fiber 14 can use different optical fibers, such as a combination of plastic optical fiber and glass (or quartz) optical fiber, to ensure uniform illumination while reducing the cost of the device. Of course, under the conditions of meeting high temperature resistance and flexibility, the cost of the device using all plastic optical fibers can be lower.

[0038] In the scenario where the light of the light source module 11 may generate high temperature, a beam splitter 12 with a relatively large difference in transmittance and reflectivity can be used, for example, the transmittance-reflection ratio is 3:1 or 4:1, that is, the transmitted light energy is significantly higher than the reflected light energy. Another example is the transmittance-reflection ratio is 1:3 or 1:5, that is, the reflected light energy is significantly higher than the transmitted light energy. In this embodiment, the high-energy part of the light can be coupled to glass or quartz optical fiber, and the low-energy part of the light is coupled to plastic optical fiber, so as to meet the requirements of temperature resistance and avoid the high cost of using all glass or quartz optical fiber bundles. Of course, in this embodiment, the high-energy part of the light can also be coupled to a glass or quartz optical fiber bundle with a relatively small overall diameter to meet the requirements of temperature resistance and flexibility at the same time, and the low-energy part of the light is coupled to a plastic optical fiber with a relatively small overall diameter, while meeting the high temperature resistance and flexibility, the compactness of the overall structure is improved and the cost is significantly reduced.

[0039] In other words, compared with the solution in the related art that uses glass or quartz optical fiber splitting to achieve multiple lighting points, in the endoscope lighting system 10 using the beam splitter 12 of the present solution, the transmittance-reflection ratio of the beam splitter 12 can be selected, and light-guiding optical fibers of different materials and sizes can be used to balance the temperature resistance, flexibility and cost requirements of the endoscope, thereby greatly improving the design flexibility of the endoscope lighting system 10.

[0040] Continue to refer Figure 1 The endoscope illumination system 10 may include a first coupling lens group 15 and a second coupling lens group 16. The first coupling lens group 15 is disposed between the beam splitter 12 and the first light guide fiber 13 and is used to couple the light transmitted by the beam splitter 12 to the first light guide fiber 13. The second coupling lens group 16 is disposed between the beam splitter 12 and the second light guide fiber 14 and is used to couple the light reflected by the beam splitter 12 to the second light guide fiber 14. The first coupling lens group 15 may converge the transmitted light of the beam splitter 12 to the first light guide fiber 13, and may include one lens or a combination of two or more lenses. The second coupling lens group 16 may converge the reflected light of the beam splitter 12 to the second light guide fiber 14, and may include one lens or a combination of two or more lenses.

[0041] Of course, reference Figure 2 In other embodiments, the coupling lens group 17 can be disposed between the light source module 11 and the beam splitter 12, and the light converged by the coupling lens group 17 is then irradiated to the beam splitter 12, and then transmitted to the first light guide fiber 13 through the beam splitter 12, and reflected to the second light guide fiber 14 through the beam splitter 12. In this embodiment, the coupling lens group between the beam splitter 12 and the first light guide fiber 13 can be omitted, and the coupling lens group between the beam splitter 12 and the second light guide fiber 14 can also be omitted, so as to simplify the arrangement of the optical path and save the cost of components.

[0042] The above endoscope lighting system 10 can be used for lighting an endoscope. The endoscope lighting system 10 includes a light source module 11, a beam splitter 12, a first light guide fiber 13 and a second light guide fiber 14. The light source module 11 has a light output path 11a. The beam splitter 12 corresponds to the light source module 11 and is tilted relative to the light output path 11a. The light emitted by the light source module 11 to the beam splitter 12 along the light output path 11a is coupled to the first light guide fiber 13 through the beam splitter 12, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 12 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 14. By utilizing the light splitting characteristics of the beam splitter 12, part of the light irradiated to the beam splitter 12 is reflected, and the remaining light is transmitted. The light irradiated to the beam splitter 12 by the light source module 11 can be fully utilized to avoid the waste of light energy and improve the lighting efficiency. Since the reflected light and the transmitted light of the beam splitter 12 have the same spectral components, the transmitted light coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 13 and the reflected light coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 14 have the same spectral components, the first light-guiding optical fiber 13 or the second light-guiding optical fiber 14 can adopt a single plastic optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle to achieve uniform illumination of multiple illumination points. There is no need to divide the optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or quartz optical fibers into two or more groups to achieve illumination of multiple illumination points. Therefore, the process can be greatly simplified and the cost of optical path components can be reduced.

[0043] Second embodiment

[0044] refer to Figure 3 In the second embodiment of the present application, an endoscope lighting system 20 is disclosed, and the endoscope lighting system 20 may include a light source module 21, a beam splitter 22, a first light guide fiber 23, and a second light guide fiber 24. The light source module 21 has a light output path 21a, and the beam splitter 22 corresponds to the light source module 21 and is tilted relative to the light output path 21a. The beam splitter 22 has a light splitting characteristic of partially reflecting the incident light and transmitting the remaining light, and the reflected light and the transmitted light have the same spectral components. The light emitted by the light source module 21 along the light output path 21a to the beam splitter 22 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 23 by the light transmitted by the beam splitter 22, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 22 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 24. The first light guide fiber 23 and the second light guide fiber 24 can be arranged around the imaging module, so as to correspond to at least two illumination points, providing uniform illumination for the imaging module.

[0045] The difference from the first embodiment is that, in the second embodiment, the light source module 21 may include a dichroic mirror 211 and at least two light-emitting modules 213, the dichroic mirror 211 is arranged on the light output path 21a and is inclined relative to the light output path 21a, and the light from at least two light-emitting modules 213 is combined by the dichroic mirror 211 and irradiated to the beam splitter 22.

[0046] Specifically, refer to Figure 3Taking the light source module 21 including a dichroic mirror 211 and two light-emitting modules 213 as an example, the two light-emitting modules 213 can be named as a first light-emitting module 2131 and a second light-emitting module 2133. The first light-emitting module 2131 is arranged in the extension direction of the light-emitting optical path 21a, and the second light-emitting module 2133 is arranged on one side of the light-emitting optical path 21a and corresponds to the dichroic mirror 211. The light irradiated by the first light-emitting module 2131 to the dichroic mirror 211 and transmitted by the dichroic mirror 211 is combined with the light irradiated by the second light-emitting module 2133 to the dichroic mirror 211 and reflected by the dichroic mirror 211, and then irradiated to the beam splitter 22, and then transmitted by the beam splitter 22 and coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 23, and reflected by the beam splitter 22 and coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 24.

[0047] The first light-emitting module 2131 and the second light-emitting module 2133 may be different, for example, the first light-emitting module 2131 and the second light-emitting module 2133 are different narrow-band light modules. Exemplarily, the first light-emitting module 2131 includes a purple light source (central wavelength 405-425nm), and the second light-emitting module 2133 includes a blue light source (central wavelength 440-490nm). The reflected light and the transmitted light of the dichroic mirror 211 have different spectra, so it can play a filtering role, filter out the unnecessary part of the light, reduce the interference of these lights on imaging, and obtain a higher quality endoscope lighting source.

[0048] The above endoscope lighting system 20 can be used for the lighting of an endoscope. The endoscope lighting system 20 includes a light source module 21, a beam splitter 22, a first light guide fiber 23 and a second light guide fiber 24. The light source module 21 has a light output path 21a. The beam splitter 22 corresponds to the light source module 21 and is tilted relative to the light output path 21a. The light from the light source module 21 irradiates the beam splitter 22 along the light output path 21a. The light transmitted by the beam splitter 22 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 23, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 22 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 24. By utilizing the light splitting characteristics of the beam splitter 22, part of the light irradiated to the beam splitter 22 is reflected, and the remaining light is transmitted. The light irradiated from the light source module 21 to the beam splitter 22 can be fully utilized to avoid the waste of light energy and improve the lighting efficiency. Since the reflected light and the transmitted light of the beam splitter 22 have the same spectral components, the transmitted light coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 23 and the reflected light coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 24 have the same spectral components, the first light-guiding optical fiber 23 or the second light-guiding optical fiber 24 can use a single plastic optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle to achieve uniform illumination of multiple illumination points. There is no need to divide the optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or quartz optical fibers into two or more groups to achieve illumination of multiple illumination points. Therefore, the process can be greatly simplified and the cost of optical path components can be reduced.

[0049] Third embodiment

[0050] refer to Figure 4 In the third embodiment of the present application, an endoscope lighting system 30 is disclosed, and the endoscope lighting system 30 may include a light source module 31, a beam splitter 32, a first light guide fiber 33, and a second light guide fiber 34. The light source module 31 has a light output path 31a, and the beam splitter 32 corresponds to the light source module 31 and is tilted relative to the light output path 31a. The beam splitter 32 has a light splitting characteristic of partially reflecting the incident light and transmitting the remaining light, and the reflected light and the transmitted light have the same spectral components. The light emitted by the light source module 31 along the light output path 31a to the beam splitter 32 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 33 by the light transmitted by the beam splitter 32, and is coupled to the second light guide fiber 34 by the light reflected by the beam splitter 32. The first light guide fiber 33 and the second light guide fiber 34 can be arranged around the imaging module, so as to correspond to at least two illumination points, and provide uniform illumination for the imaging module.

[0051] The difference from the second embodiment is that, in the third embodiment, more than two dichroic mirrors 311 are arranged at intervals along the light-emitting optical path 31a, the light source module 31 includes a first light-emitting module 3131 located on the light-emitting optical path 31a, and a second light-emitting module 3133 and a third light-emitting module 3135 located on the same side of the light-emitting optical path 31a, at least one second light-emitting module 3133 is arranged and the third light-emitting module 3135 is closer to the beam splitter 32 than the second light-emitting module 3133; each second light-emitting module 3133 corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311, the third light-emitting module 3135 corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311, and the second light-emitting module 3133 corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311, and the second light-emitting module 3133 corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311. The sum of the number of optical modules 3133 and the third light-emitting modules 3135 is equal to the number of dichroic mirrors 311. The dichroic mirrors 311 are located between the first light-emitting module 3131 and the beam splitter 32. The light emitted by the first light-emitting module 3131 is transmitted through all the dichroic mirrors 311 in sequence and then irradiates the beam splitter 32; the light emitted by any second light-emitting module 3133 is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror 311, and then transmitted through the dichroic mirror 311 between the corresponding dichroic mirror 311 and the beam splitter 32, and then irradiates the beam splitter 32; the light emitted by the third light-emitting module 3135 is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror 311 to the beam splitter 32.

[0052] Specifically, refer to Figure 4 ,exist Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, four dichroic mirrors 311 are arranged at intervals along the light output path 31a. The first light-emitting module 3131 is a purple light source (central wavelength 405-425nm). Three second light-emitting modules 3133 are arranged, which are a blue light source (central wavelength 440-490nm), a wide-spectrum green light source (central wavelength 530-550nm), and an orange light source (central wavelength 580-610nm) in sequence in a direction parallel to the first light-emitting module 3131 pointing to the beam splitter 32. The third light source is a red light source (central wavelength 620-640nm). Each second light-emitting module 3133 corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311, and the third light-emitting module 3135 also corresponds to a dichroic mirror 311, and the sum of the number of the second light-emitting modules 3133 and the third light-emitting modules 3135 is equal to the number of the dichroic mirrors 311. The light emitted by the first light-emitting module 3131 is transmitted through all the dichroic mirrors 311 in sequence and then irradiates the beam splitter 32; the light emitted by the second light-emitting module 3133 is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror 311, and then transmitted through the dichroic mirror 311 between the corresponding dichroic mirror 311 and the beam splitter 32, and then irradiates the beam splitter 32; the light emitted by the third light source is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror 311 to the beam splitter 32, and then transmitted through the beam splitter 32 and coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 33, and reflected by the beam splitter 32 and coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 34.

[0053] The above endoscope lighting system 30 can be used for the lighting of the endoscope. The endoscope lighting system 30 includes a light source module 31, a beam splitter 32, a first light guide fiber 33 and a second light guide fiber 34. The light source module 31 has a light output path 31a. The beam splitter 32 corresponds to the light source module 31 and is tilted relative to the light output path 31a. The light from the light source module 31 irradiates the beam splitter 32 along the light output path 31a. The light transmitted by the beam splitter 32 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 33, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 32 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 34. By utilizing the light splitting characteristics of the beam splitter 32, part of the light irradiated to the beam splitter 32 is reflected, and the remaining light is transmitted. The light irradiated from the light source module 31 to the beam splitter 32 can be fully utilized to avoid the waste of light energy and improve the lighting efficiency. Since the reflected light and the transmitted light of the beam splitter 32 have the same spectral components, the transmitted light coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 33 and the reflected light coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 34 have the same spectral components, the first light-guiding optical fiber 33 or the second light-guiding optical fiber 34 can adopt a single plastic optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle to achieve uniform illumination of multiple illumination points. There is no need to divide the optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or quartz optical fibers into two or more groups to achieve illumination of multiple illumination points. Therefore, the process can be greatly simplified and the cost of optical path components can be reduced.

[0054] Fourth embodiment

[0055] refer to Figure 5In the fourth embodiment of the present application, an endoscope lighting system 40 is disclosed, and the endoscope lighting system 40 may include a light source module 41, a beam splitter 42, a first light guide fiber 43, and a second light guide fiber 44. The light source module 41 has a light output path 41a, and the beam splitter 42 corresponds to the light source module 41 and is tilted relative to the light output path 41a. The beam splitter 42 has a light splitting characteristic of partially reflecting the incident light and transmitting the remaining light, and the reflected light and the transmitted light have the same spectral components. The light emitted by the light source module 41 along the light output path 41a to the beam splitter 42 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 43 by the light transmitted by the beam splitter 42, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 42 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 44. The first light guide fiber 43 and the second light guide fiber 44 can be arranged around the imaging module, so as to correspond to at least two illumination points, and provide uniform illumination for the imaging module.

[0056] The difference from the first embodiment is that, in the fourth embodiment, at least two beam splitters 42 are arranged between the light source module 41 and the first light guide fiber 43, and adjacent beam splitters 42 can be arranged in parallel and at intervals. At least two second light guide fibers 44 are arranged and correspond one to one with the beam splitters 42. The light emitted from the light source module 41 along the light output path 41a is transmitted through all the beam splitters 42 in sequence and coupled to the first light guide fiber 43; the light emitted from the light source module 41 along the light output path 41a is reflected by any beam splitter 42 and coupled to the corresponding second light guide fiber 44. Furthermore, the transmission-reflection ratio of any beam splitter 42 is (n+1):1, where n is the number of beam splitters 42 between the corresponding beam splitter 42 and the first light guide fiber 43, and n is a natural number.

[0057] Specifically, in Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, two beam splitters 42 are provided between the light source module 41 and the first light guide fiber 43, and adjacent beam splitters 42 can be arranged in parallel and at intervals. Two second light guide fibers 44 are provided and correspond to the beam splitters 42 one by one. The light emitted from the light source module 41 along the light output path 41a is transmitted through all the beam splitters 42 in sequence and coupled to the first light guide fiber 43. The light emitted from the light source module 41 along the light output path 41a is reflected by any beam splitter 42 and coupled to the corresponding second light guide fiber 44. Exemplarily, the transmission-reflection ratio of the beam splitter 42 closer to the light source module 41 is 2:1, and the transmission-reflection ratio of the beam splitter 42 closer to the first light guide fiber 43 is 1:1, so that any second light guide fiber 44 has substantially the same illumination brightness as the first light guide fiber 43, thereby improving the uniformity of endoscope illumination.

[0058] Exemplarily, when three beam splitters 42 are arranged between the light source module 41 and the first light guide fiber 43, the transmission and reflection ratios of the beam splitters 42 in the direction from the light source module 41 to the first light guide fiber 43 are 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1, respectively. This arrangement also enables any second light guide fiber 44 to have substantially the same illumination brightness as the first light guide fiber 43, thereby improving the uniformity of endoscope illumination. Other embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0059] With this optical path setting, more second light guiding fibers 44 can be arranged between the light source module 41 and the first light guiding fiber 43. The first light guiding fiber 43 and the multiple second light guiding fibers 44 can be arranged around the imaging module of the endoscope to form more than three lighting points to achieve more uniform lighting.

[0060] The above endoscope lighting system 40 can be used for the lighting of the endoscope. The endoscope lighting system 40 includes a light source module 41, a beam splitter 42, a first light guide fiber 43 and a second light guide fiber 44. The light source module 41 has a light output path 41a. The beam splitter 42 corresponds to the light source module 41 and is tilted relative to the light output path 41a. The light from the light source module 41 irradiates the beam splitter 42 along the light output path 41a. The light transmitted by the beam splitter 42 is coupled to the first light guide fiber 43, and the light reflected by the beam splitter 42 is coupled to the second light guide fiber 44. By utilizing the light splitting characteristics of the beam splitter 42, part of the light irradiated to the beam splitter 42 is reflected, and the remaining light is transmitted. The light irradiated from the light source module 41 to the beam splitter 42 can be fully utilized to avoid the waste of light energy and improve the lighting efficiency. Since the reflected light and the transmitted light of the beam splitter 42 have the same spectral components, the transmitted light coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber 43 and the reflected light coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber 44 have the same spectral components, the first light-guiding optical fiber 43 or the second light-guiding optical fiber 44 can use a single plastic optical fiber or a single optical fiber bundle to achieve uniform illumination of multiple illumination points. There is no need to divide the optical fiber bundle composed of a large number of glass or quartz optical fibers into two or more groups to achieve multi-illumination point illumination, which can greatly simplify the process and reduce the cost of optical path devices.

[0061] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the light source module 41 can also adopt the light source module 41 scheme of the second and third embodiments mentioned above, and the light source module 41 is not limited to the combination of the light emitting module 213 and the dichroic mirror 311. The light source module 41 can also include a beam splitter 42 or other optical elements, which will not be repeated in this application.

[0062] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0063] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An endoscope lighting system, characterized in that: include: A light source module having a light output path; A beam splitter, corresponding to the light source module and arranged obliquely relative to the light output path; as well as A first light-guiding optical fiber and a second light-guiding optical fiber, the light source module irradiates the light to the beam splitter along the light-emitting optical path, the light transmitted through the beam splitter is coupled to the first light-guiding optical fiber, and the light reflected through the beam splitter is coupled to the second light-guiding optical fiber.

2. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The endoscope lighting system includes a first coupling mirror group and a second coupling mirror group. The first coupling mirror group is arranged between the beam splitter and the first light-guiding optical fiber and is used to couple the light transmitted by the beam splitter to the first light-guiding optical fiber. The second coupling mirror group is arranged between the beam splitter and the second light-guiding optical fiber and is used to couple the light reflected by the beam splitter to the second light-guiding optical fiber.

3. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least two beam splitters are provided between the light source module and the first light guide fiber, and at least two second light guide fibers are provided and correspond to the beam splitters one by one; the light emitted by the light source module along the light output path is sequentially transmitted through all the beam splitters and then coupled to the first light guide fiber; The light emitted by the light source module along the light output path is reflected by any of the beam splitters and then coupled to the corresponding second light guiding optical fiber.

4. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Adjacent beam splitters are arranged in parallel and at intervals, and the transmission-reflection ratio of any beam splitter is (n+1):1, where n is the number of the beam splitters between the corresponding beam splitter and the first light-guiding optical fiber.

5. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first light-guiding optical fiber is a single optical fiber or an optical fiber bundle, and the second light-guiding optical fiber is a single optical fiber or an optical fiber bundle.

6. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first light-guiding optical fiber and the second light-guiding optical fiber are both plastic optical fibers.

7. The endoscope lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The light source module includes a dichroic mirror and at least two light-emitting modules. The dichroic mirror is arranged on the light-emitting light path and is inclined relative to the light-emitting light path. Light from at least two light-emitting modules is combined by the dichroic mirror and irradiated to the beam splitter.

8. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 7, characterized in that: More than two dichroic mirrors are arranged at intervals along the light-emitting optical path; the light source module includes a first light-emitting module located on the light-emitting optical path, and a second light-emitting module and a third light-emitting module located on the same side of the light-emitting optical path; at least one second light-emitting module is arranged, and the third light-emitting module is closer to the beam splitter than the second light-emitting module; each second light-emitting module corresponds to one dichroic mirror, and the third light-emitting module corresponds to one dichroic mirror, and the sum of the number of the second light-emitting modules and the third light-emitting modules is equal to the number of the dichroic mirrors; the dichroic mirror is located between the first light-emitting module and the beam splitter, and the light emitted by the first light-emitting module is sequentially transmitted through all the dichroic mirrors and then irradiated to the beam splitter; The light emitted by the second light-emitting module is reflected by the corresponding dichroic mirror, and then transmitted through the dichroic mirror between the corresponding dichroic mirror and the beam splitter, and then irradiated to the beam splitter; The light emitted by the third light-emitting module is reflected to the beam splitter through the corresponding dichroic mirror.

9. The endoscope lighting system according to claim 7, characterized in that: Includes any of the following options: The light source module includes two different light-emitting modules; The light source module includes at least two narrow-band light modules.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises an imaging module and the endoscopic lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first light-guiding optical fiber and the second light-guiding optical fiber are arranged around the imaging module.

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