Borescopic Optical System Interlocking Assemblies
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical diagnostic instruments face challenges in providing a large enough field of view without reducing the working distance, which can cause patient anxiety, and they are often complex and costly to manufacture, with a lack of a shared optical architecture for disparate devices.
Innovation Solution
A medical diagnostic instrument with an optical system featuring interlocking components, including a borescopic optical system with symmetrical lenses and a virtual pupil design, allowing for an enhanced field of view and modular architecture that can be shared across various instruments, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the field of view is expanded by shortening the working distance, then the field of view increases, but patient anxiety and discomfort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into separate modules (illumination assembly with light source and viewing assembly with objective lens) that can be independently positioned. The illumination assembly can be extended forward to illuminate the target area while the viewing assembly remains at a comfortable working distance for the practitioner, thus expanding the field of view without requiring the practitioner to be close to the patient.
Solution Approach 2:
A beam splitter or dichroic mirror is introduced as an intermediary optical element that separates the illumination path from the viewing path. This allows the illumination optics to be positioned close to the patient for wide field illumination while the viewing optics remain at a comfortable distance for the practitioner, resolving the contradiction between field of view and working distance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate instruments are used for examining different target areas, then each instrument can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall system complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument incorporates a universal optical platform with a beam splitter that can accommodate different illumination assemblies and viewing assemblies for examining various body parts (ear, eye, throat). This modular universal design allows a single instrument housing to perform multiple diagnostic functions, reducing the need for separate specialized instruments while maintaining optimization for each examination type.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument is segmented into interchangeable modules (illumination assembly, viewing assembly, beam splitter) that can be configured for different diagnostic applications. This modular segmentation allows the same basic platform to be adapted for multiple uses, reducing overall system complexity compared to having completely separate instruments for each function.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional optical assemblies are manufactured separately, then each component can be optimized independently, but labor and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination assembly and viewing assembly are merged into a single integrated instrument housing with a common optical platform and beam splitter. This consolidation allows shared manufacturing processes, common materials, and reduced assembly steps compared to manufacturing separate instruments, thereby reducing labor and material costs while maintaining the ability to optimize each component's performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a larger, more comprehensive field of view, reducing patient anxiety and enabling faster, more reliable examinations while simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs through a common optical architecture.
Implementation Method 1
A medical diagnostic instrument with an optical system featuring interlocking components, including a borescopic optical system with symmetrical lenses
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3
AI summary
A medical diagnostic instrument or a plurality of disparate medical diagnostic instruments are configured with a common optical architecture that functionally creates a virtual eye to create closer proximity to a patient and therefore increase the field of view in regard to a target of interest. The optical system includes a distal optical element, at least one relay lens and an eyepiece lens in which the optical system can be integrated within at least one instrument or be provided using a releasable module. Additionally, at least one of a viewing assembly and illumination assembly of at least one medical diagnostic instrument can be assembled using a series of components that are connected by interlocking features.