Fiber-optic scanner, illuminating device, and observation instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016004072-A1
Application number	US-201514856982-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2013
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fiber-optic scanner equipped with a light-guiding optical fiber; the fiber-optic scanner including a plurality of vibration generating units disposed circumferentially at equal intervals on an outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber located on a base end side thereof at a predetermined distance from the emission end of the optical fiber to vibrate an emission end of the optical fiber in a plurality of directions; and a vibration damping member disposed at least in a position between base end-side edges of the vibration generating units and the emission end of the optical fiber, wherein the vibration damping member has a uniform shape of a rotating body rotated around the axis line of the optical fiber.

First claim

1 . A fiber-optic scanner comprising:
a light-guiding optical fiber; a plurality of vibration generating units disposed circumferentially at equal intervals on an outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber located on a base end side thereof at a predetermined distance from an emission end of the optical fiber to vibrate the emission end of the optical fiber in a plurality of directions; and a vibration damping member disposed at least in a position between base end-side edges of the vibration generating units and the emission end of the optical fiber, wherein the vibration damping member has a uniform shape of a rotating body rotated around the axis line of the optical fiber.

2 . The fiber-optic scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration damping member is disposed over the entire length of the optical fiber from the vibration generating units to the emission end.

3 . The fiber-optic scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration damping member is disposed from a position adjacent to the vibration generating units up to a position halfway through the optical fiber in the longitudinal direction thereof.

4 . The fiber-optic scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration damping member is circumferentially divided with gaps left therein in circumferential positions corresponding to the positions of the vibration generating units.

5 . An illuminating device equipped with one of fiber-optic scanners according to claim 1 ; and
a light source unit for emitting light to be scanned by the fiber-optic scanner.

6 . An observation instrument comprising:
an illuminating device according to claim 5 ; and an optical detection unit for detecting return light returning from an object as the result of light being radiated to the object by the illuminating device.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Kasai Yasuaki

Classifications

• A61B5/0062

  Arrangements for scanning · CPC title

• A61B1/00172

  with means for scanning · CPC title

• G02B6/0008

  the light being emitted at the end of the fibre · CPC title

• G02B26/101

  with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• G02B26/103 Primary

  having movable or deformable optical fibres, light guides or waveguides as scanning elements (light guides per se G02B6/00) · CPC title