Multiple-input-coupled illuminated multi-spot laser probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11771597-B2
Application number	US-201816217383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2018
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating multi-spot laser light beams, multiplexing an illumination light and the multi-spot laser light beams, delivering the multiplexed light to a surgical handpiece via a multi-core optical fiber cable, and delivering the multiplexed light onto patient anatomy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser system comprising:
a first port for coupling with a first laser probe assembly;
an additional port for coupling with an additional laser probe assembly;
the additional laser probe assembly;
a port selector;
a first beam splitter;
a second beam splitter;
a therapeutic laser source configured to direct a treatment laser beam to the port selector, the port selector configured to selectively and variably direct the treatment laser beam to the first beam splitter or the second beam splitter;
a first aiming laser source for directing a first aiming laser beam to the first beam splitter;
a second aiming laser source for directing a second aiming laser beam to the second beam splitter;
a diffractive optical element (DOE) configured to receive the treatment laser beam and the second aiming laser beam and to create a multi-spot laser pattern from the treatment laser beam and the second aiming laser beam;
an illumination system that emits white light;
a collimating lens that collimates the white light received from the illumination system into an illumination beam;
a condensing lens; and
a multiplexing beam splitter arranged to receive the illumination beam and the multi-spot laser pattern from the DOE, the multiplexing beam splitter configured to reflect the multi-spot laser pattern towards the condensing lens and to transmit the illumination beam from the collimating lens towards the condensing lens, thereby multiplexing the multi-spot laser pattern and the illumination beam,
wherein:
the first beam splitter directs the treatment laser beam and the first aiming laser beam to the first port, wherein the second beam splitter directs the treatment laser beam and the second aiming laser beam toward the additional port,
the condensing lens focuses a multiplexed beam of the illumination beam and the multi-spot laser pattern onto an interface in the additional port,
the additional laser probe assembly comprises a multi-core optical fiber cable with a proximal end which, when coupled with the additional port, abuts the interface in the additional port such that the focused, multiplexed multi-spot pattern and the illumination beam are focused on the proximal end of the multi-core optical fiber cable,
the multi-core optical fiber cable further comprises a first outer core surrounded by an outer-core cladding and a plurality of inner cores contained within the outer core, each inner core in the plurality of inner cores surrounded by an inner-core cladding, and
a refractive index of the outer core is greater than a refractive index of the outer-core cladding, wherein a refractive index of each of the inner cores in the plurality of inner cores is greater than a refractive index of the inner-core cladding.

2. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a focusing lens arranged to receive the treatment laser beam and the first aiming laser beam from the first beam splitter and focus the treatment laser beam and the first aiming laser beam to the first port and onto an interface with an optical fiber of the first laser probe assembly.

3. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first beam detector, wherein the first beam splitter directs a portion of the treatment laser beam and the first aiming laser beam to the first beam detector.

4. The laser system of claim 3 , further comprising:
an additional beam detector, wherein an additional beam splitter reflects a portion of the illumination beam to the additional beam detector.

5. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power monitor; and
a beam splitter arranged to receive the treatment laser beam from the therapeutic laser source and direct a portion of the treatment laser to the power monitor.

6. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an optical element configured to transform a horizontally polarized treatment beam from the therapeutic laser source into a vertically polarized treatment beam.

7. The laser system of claim 6 , wherein the optical element is selected from among a half-wave plate, a quartz-crystal polarization rotator, and a metamaterial polarization rotator.

8. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shutter arranged between the therapeutic laser source and the port selector, the shutter configured to alternatively block and transmit the treatment laser beam from reaching the port selector.

9. The laser system of claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic laser source is configured to produce the treatment laser beam having a wavelength equal to 532 nm (nanometers), and wherein at least one of the first aiming laser source and the second aiming laser source is configured to produce a laser aiming beam having a wavelength equal to 635 nm.

10. The laser system of claim 1 , wherein the DOE creates the multi-spot laser pattern in a 2×2 array pattern.

11. The laser system of claim 1 , wherein the DOE contains a plurality of different diffraction regions selected for creating and transmitting various multi-spot patterns of laser light.

12. The laser system of claim 1 , wherein the DOE comprises a movable linear stage with a plurality of diffraction regions for creating and transmitting multi-spot patterns of laser light.

13. The laser system of claim 1 , wherein the additional laser probe assembly further comprises:
a handpiece with a probe tip coupled with a distal end of the multi-core optical fiber cable, the probe tip having a lens located at a distal end of the probe tip, wherein the distal end of the multi-core optical fiber cable terminates in an interface with the lens, and wherein the lens translates a geometry of the multiplexed multi-spot pattern and illumination beam from the distal end of the multi-core optical fiber cable onto a target surface.

14. The laser system of claim 13 , wherein the refractive index of each of the inner cores in the plurality of inner cores is larger than the refractive index of the outer-core cladding.

15. The laser system of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of inner cores contained within the outer core form a 2×2 array that matches a 2×2 multi-spot pattern from the DOE.

16. The laser system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a beam compressor arranged between the therapeutic laser source and the DOE, the beam compressor configured to collimate the treatment laser beam to a diameter selected based on attributes of the DOE and a desired multi-spot pattern.

Assignees

• Alcon Inc

Inventors

• Bacher Gerald David
• Farley Mark Harrison
• Mirsepassi Alireza
• Smith Ronald T

Classifications

• A61B2018/2244

  Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings · CPC title

• A61B2018/2205

  Characteristics of fibres · CPC title

• A61B18/20

  using laser · CPC title

• A61F9/00821 Primary

  for coagulation · CPC title

• A61B18/22

  the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; {Couplings or} hand-pieces therefor · CPC title