Endoscope Optical Fiber Calibration for High-Resolution Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes with large sizes cause pain and leave scars during non-invasive treatments, and their optical fibers distort when bent, limiting their application to small areas and preventing image recovery when the endoscope is deformed.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope design featuring a hand piece with a high-strength bar and optical path unit, including GRIN lenses or optical fibers, and a light processing unit with a beam splitter and scanner to adjust beam angles, along with a calibration method to obtain a transmission matrix, allowing for high-resolution imaging without causing patient pain and enabling use in various body parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional endoscope with large size is used for non-invasive treatment, then the treatment can be performed, but it causes pain and leaves large scars on the patient's body
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an optical fiber as the core component, which is inherently flexible and thin, allowing the endoscope to be inserted through small incisions without causing significant pain or scarring. The optical fiber maintains its optical properties even when bent, enabling minimally invasive procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical imaging systems with an optical fiber-based interferometric system. This substitution allows the endoscope to achieve high-resolution imaging through a thin, flexible optical fiber rather than requiring a bulky mechanical structure.
2Length of moving object
If an optical fiber is used in the endoscope to reduce size, then the endoscope can be inserted easily, but the optical fiber distorts when bent, limiting the observable area and preventing image recovery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calibrates the optical fiber by measuring its transmission matrix in a straight state and storing this information. When the fiber is bent during use, the stored transmission matrix is applied to correct the distorted images, allowing recovery of the original image quality despite the fiber's deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from trying to maintain the fiber's physical parameters (keeping it straight) to correcting the optical parameters (image distortion) through mathematical transformation using the transmission matrix. This allows the fiber to be bent while still recovering accurate images.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the optical fiber path length and shape are changed, then the endoscope can adapt to different observation areas, but the previous transmission matrix becomes invalid and image recovery is no longer possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the transmission matrix dynamic by implementing a calibration mechanism that can update the transmission matrix based on the current state of the optical fiber. This allows the system to adapt to changes in fiber path length and shape while maintaining accurate image recovery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the optical fiber's state and updates the transmission matrix accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that the transmission matrix remains valid even when the fiber is repositioned or deformed, maintaining image recovery accuracy.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a single optical fiber is used for imaging, then the endoscope can be made minimally invasive, but the observable area is limited to a small range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a scanner to introduce angular diversity into the single-fiber imaging system. By varying the angle of light propagation through the optical fiber, the system can observe a wider area than would be possible with a fixed configuration, effectively adding an angular dimension to the imaging capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the single optical fiber multi-functional by combining it with a scanner and interferometric detection system. The same optical fiber serves both for transmitting light to the observation area and for carrying the interferometric signal back, while the scanner enables wide-area observation, making the system versatile despite using a single fiber.
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
Enables pain-free, high-resolution imaging across a wide range without leaving scars, allowing for precise examination of both large and small areas through LED and laser light sources, and maintaining image quality even when the endoscope is bent.
Implementation Method 1
a beam splitter for splitting the light of the light source unit into a first beam serving as a reference beam and a second beam serving as a sample beam
Implementation Method 2
a scanner provided at the rear of the beam splitter so as to vary the angle of the second beam
Implementation Method 3
a sample beam and a reference beam, and acquires an interference image of the sample beam and the reference beam. When the image is acquired, a first distortion of the image occurs due to the optical fiber while light propagates to an object plane (OP) from an image plane (IP)
Implementation Method 4
employs a sample beam and a reference beam, and acquires an interference image of the sample beam and the reference beam
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an endoscope including a hand piece held by a hand and a main body connected to the hand piece. The hand piece may include a high-strength bar having an optical path providing unit formed therein, the main body may include: a light source unit for providing light; and a light processing unit for processing light, and the light processing unit may include: a beam splitter for splitting the light of the light source unit into a first beam serving as a reference beam and a second beam serving as a sample beam; and a scanner provided at the rear of the beam splitter so as to vary the angle of the second beam.