Directing light into an optical fiber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12399357-B2
Application number	US-202118008094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2021
Priority date	Jun 3, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A system can direct light into an optical fiber. Imaging optics can form an image of an end of an optical fiber. An actuatable optical element can be configured to define an optical path that extends to the actuatable optical element and further extends to the end of the optical fiber. A processor can determine a location in the image of a specified feature in the image. The processor can cause, based on the location of the specified feature in the image, the actuatable optical element to actuate to align the optical path to a core of the optical fiber. A light source can direct a light beam along the optical path to couple into the core of the optical fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for directing light emitted by first optical cores of a first light source into second optical cores of an optical fiber sensor, the system comprising:
a first objective element and a second objective element for directing the light from the first optical cores along respective optical paths;
an actuatable optical element disposed between the first objective element and the second objective element;
a second light source configured to direct illumination toward an end of the optical fiber sensor, such that the illumination reflects or scatters from the end as reflected or scattered illumination, wherein the illumination has an illumination wavelength differing from a wavelength of the light emitted by the first optical cores;
a focusing element and an imaging array configured to form, from the reflected or scattered illumination, an image of the end; and
a control system comprising one or more processors, the control system configured to perform operations comprising:
determining a location of a specified feature in the image, and
causing, based on the location, an actuation of the actuatable optical element to align the optical paths with the respective second optical cores.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first light source comprises:
an optical fiber comprising the first optical cores and a cladding surrounding the first optical cores; or
a bundle of optical fibers, each optical fiber of the bundle comprising an optical core of the first optical cores.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a physical barrier, the physical barrier comprising a window configured to separate the second objective element from the optical fiber sensor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the specified feature comprises an aspect selected from the group consisting of:
a circumferential edge of the end of the optical fiber sensor,
an azimuthal locating feature on a circumference of the end; and
a core of the second optical cores.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first objective element comprises a first objective lens, and the second objective element comprises a second objective lens; or
the first objective element comprises a first parabolic mirror, and the second objective element comprises a second parabolic mirror.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuatable optical element comprises a pivotable mirror.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the pivotable mirror is located telecentrically relative to the second objective element, such that pivoting the pivotable mirror produces lateral translation of the optical paths at the end of the optical fiber sensor without producing a change in angle of the optical paths at the end of the optical fiber sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuatable optical element comprises a first pivotable mirror and a second pivotable mirror, the first and second pivotable mirrors physically configurable to together steer the light from the first optical cores towards a center of the second objective element.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein causing the actuation of the actuatable optical element comprises:
determining an offset between the location and a predetermined target location of the specified feature in the image; and
causing the actuation based on the offset.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the target location is determined by registering the image to settings of the actuatable optical element during calibration, the calibration comprising:
coupling the light from the first optical cores into respective cores of the second optical cores; and
coupling back-reflected light from the second optical cores into the first optical cores as the settings of the actuatable optical element are being scanned.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the light emitted by the first optical cores is first light;
the wavelength of the light emitted by the first optical cores is a first wavelength;
the first light source is configured to inject second light having a visible second wavelength different from the first wavelength into a set of source optical cores, the set of source optical cores comprising cores selected from the group consisting of: one or more of the first optical cores and one or more additional optical cores not used to emit the first light;
the image is further formed from a reflection of the second light off the end of the optical fiber sensor, such that the image further comprises sub-images of multiple cores of the set of source optical cores;
the specified feature in the image comprises sub-images of multiple cores of the optical fiber sensor; and
causing the actuation of the actuatable optical element to align the optical paths with the respective second optical cores comprises: causing the actuation to superimpose the sub-images of the multiple core of the optical fiber sensor with the sub-images of the multiple cores of the set of source optical cores.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the light emitted by the first optical cores is first light;
the wavelength of the light emitted by the first optical cores is a first wavelength;
the first light source is configured to inject second light having a visible second wavelength different from the first wavelength into a source optical core selected from the group consisting of: the first optical cores, and one or more additional optical cores not used to emit the first light;
the image is further formed from a reflection of the second light off the end of the optical fiber sensor, such that the image further comprises a sub-image of the selected source optical core;
the specified feature in the image comprises a sub-image of a core of the optical fiber sensor; and
causing the actuation of the actuatable optical element to align the optical paths with the respective second optical cores comprises: causing the actuation to superimpose the sub-image of the core of the optical fiber sensor with the sub-image of the selected source optical core.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the reflected or scattered illumination comprises illumination that propagates along the optical paths and is collimated, by the second objective element, into collimated reflected or scattered illumination;
the system further comprises: a dichroic mirror disposed in the optical paths between the first objective element and the second objective element, wherein the collimated reflected or scattered illumination is redirected, by the dichroic mirror, away from the optical paths as redirected reflected or scattered illumination; and
the focusing element is located in a path of the redirected reflected or scattered illumination and configured to focus the redirected illumination onto the imaging array.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein:
the dichroic mirror is disposed between the actuatable optical element and the first objective element; and
causing the actuation of the actuatable optical element to align the optical paths with the respective second optical cores comprises:
determining an offset between the location of the specified feature in the image and a predetermined target location in the image; and
causing the actuation to reduce the offset.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first light source comprises a source optical fiber, the source optical fiber comprising the first optical cores;
the second light source is a first illumination light source, and the illumination wavelength is a first illumination wavelength;
the system further comprises: a third light source configured to direct second illumination at an end of th

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Gifford Dawn K
• Froggatt Mark E
• Sanborn Eric E
• Childers Brooks

Classifications

• G02B21/0076

  arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence · CPC title

• G02B6/4214

  the intermediate optical element having redirecting reflective means, e.g. mirrors, prisms for deflecting the radiation from horizontal to down- or upward direction toward a device (G02B6/4246 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/422

  Active alignment, i.e. moving the elements in response to the detected degree of coupling or position of the elements (G02B6/4233, G02B6/4234 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3526

  the optical element being a lens · CPC title

• G02B6/3512

  the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror · CPC title