Endoscope Optics Lateral Fiber Bundle Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope optics designs face challenges in achieving optimal fiber parallelism and illumination, particularly in oblique line of sight configurations, leading to unsatisfactory brightness variations and reduced light output.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a guide duct with chamfers on the fiber and outer tubes to compress and align fibers circumferentially, ensuring parallelism and secure attachment, while a third bundle portion bounded by outer tube protrusions enhances light output by aligning fibers precisely in the line of sight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If lateral bundle portions are used to improve illumination, then light output is improved, but fiber parallelism deteriorates due to insufficient compression
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber bundle is divided into three distinct bundle portions (upper, lateral left, lateral right) that are independently compressed and aligned. Each portion is positioned in a dedicated guide duct, allowing separate control of compression and alignment for each segment, thereby achieving both good illumination distribution and fiber parallelism.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide ducts are introduced as intermediary structures between the fiber tube and outer tube. These ducts provide a controlled environment for fiber compression and alignment, with chamfered surfaces that guide fibers into parallel alignment while maintaining lateral positioning for optimal illumination.
2Manufacturing precision
If fibers are compressed to achieve parallelism, then fiber alignment is improved, but assembly reliability deteriorates due to poor bonding
Solution Approach 1:
Fibers are pre-aligned and compressed within the guide ducts before final bonding occurs. The chamfered surfaces of the guide ducts establish proper fiber orientation and parallelism in advance, so that when bonding takes place, the fibers are already in their correct positions and orientations, ensuring both parallelism and bonding reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on wedge bonding mechanisms with a mechanical compression system using guide ducts with chamfered surfaces. The ducts physically constrain and align fibers through their geometric shape rather than relying on adhesive bonding alone, providing more reliable and consistent fiber alignment and positioning.
3Manufacturing precision
If the fiber tube is advanced to compress fibers, then fiber alignment is improved, but the risk of element detachment increases due to poor bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces adhesive bonding with a mechanical interlocking system. The guide ducts with chamfered surfaces create a friction-fit and geometry-constrained connection between the fiber tube and outer tube elements. This mechanical system provides inherent attachment reliability while simultaneously achieving fiber alignment through the duct geometry, eliminating the trade-off between alignment and attachment security.
4Ease of manufacture
If all fibers are mounted parallel to the outer tube axis, then alignment is simplified, but illumination in oblique line of sight deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different fiber orientations to different spatial locations. The upper bundle portion contains fibers parallel to the outer tube axis for simplified alignment, while the lateral bundle portions contain fibers oriented at angles to provide optimal illumination for oblique line of sight. This local differentiation of fiber orientation achieves both ease of manufacture and superior oblique illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-dimension (axial) fiber arrangement to a three-dimensional fiber distribution system. Fibers are arranged in multiple bundle portions at different positions and orientations within the endoscope head, allowing light to be emitted in multiple directions including oblique angles, thereby improving illumination for oblique line of sight while maintaining manageable alignment through the guide duct structure.
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
This design achieves improved fiber parallelism and doubles light output by ensuring fibers are aligned and compressed effectively, addressing the limitations of previous designs in oblique configurations and maintaining secure assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the spacing between the chamfers will constrict and thereby the fibers in the guide ducts will be circumferentially compressed and aligned parallel to each other
Implementation Method 2
a lateral bundle portion will be configured precisely in the line of sight while the fibers are aligned in excellent parallelism
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope optics receiving a fiber tube to separate optic fibers running between the tubes from an image guide fitted with a distal objective lens, the objective lens being configured to look downward at an oblique angle relative to the axis of the outer tube, the distal end face of the endoscope optics being configured perpendicularly to the line of sight, where a lateral bundle portion of the optic fibers, which is to the side of the fiber tube, terminates at distally bonded fibers substantially parallel to the line of sight, in the end face. The bundle portion is enclosed at its distal end zone by a guide duct. The guide duct is bounded inside by the outside of the fiber tube, outside by the inside of the outer tube, at the bottom by a first chamfer running parallel to the line of sight and being part of a lower external protrusion of the fiber tube touching the outer tube, and at the top by a second chamfer parallel to the line of sight of an internal protrusion of the outer tube touching the fiber tube.