An endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024237882-A1
Application number	US-202218289623-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 25, 2022
Priority date	May 28, 2021
Publication date	Jul 18, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An endoscope including a handle and a distal tip. The distal tip includes with a transparent front window, an image sensor having a rectangular shape, and a lightguide. The lightguide includes a circumferential surface configured to provide total internal reflection of light emitted from a light source. Cross-sections of the lightguide include four corners arranged around a centre axis so as to define four edges subdividing the circumferential surface into four side surfaces. The edges extend with a predetermined angle with respect to the centre axis and have a curvature where the angle of the surface with respect to the centre axis increases from the edges towards the middle of the side surface.

First claim

1 . An endoscope comprising:
an insertion cord comprising a distal tip arranged at a distal end of the insertion cord, said distal tip comprising: an electronic image capture device having an image receptor having a height h in a vertical imaging direction and a width h in a horizontal imaging direction, a light source, a lightguide positioned distally from the light source, the lightguide comprising a proximal end, a distal end and a circumferential surface surrounding a centre axis and extending between said proximal end and said distal end, wherein said circumferential surface is configured to provide internal reflection of light emitted from the light source, and said circumferential surface defines cross-sections of said lightguide, wherein said cross-sections comprise four corners arranged around said centre axis, the four corners subdividing the circumferential surface into side surfaces, wherein each of said side surfaces comprises a curvature having an angle of curvature, and wherein said curvature is so selected that incident light emitted about said centre axis is reflected at an angle (⊖) with respect to said horizontal imaging direction, where (⊖) is either ±arctan (h/w), or +180°−arctan (h/w).

2 . (canceled)

3 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the cross-section comprises four curved surfaces joining in four concave corners, and wherein the angles of the joining surfaces at the concave corners are approximately 135°.

4 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the cross-section comprises eight curved surfaces joining in four concave corners and four convex corners, and wherein the angles of the joining surfaces at the concave corners are approximately 90° and the angles of the joining surfaces at the convex corners are approximately 225°.

5 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the cross-section comprises twelve curved surfaces joining in eight concave corners and four convex corners where the angles of the joining surfaces at the concave corners are approximately 135° and the angles of the joining surfaces at the concave corners are approximately 225°.

6 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the angle of curvature of each of the side surfaces increases from two of the corners adjacent to each other toward a middle of each of the side surfaces.

7 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the curvature of each of said side surfaces is the same.

8 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein each of said corners extends at an angle with respect to the centre axis, and wherein the angle is constant.

9 - 11 . (canceled)

12 . The endoscope of claim 8 , wherein the angle of the corners with respect to the centre axis is between 0 and 3 degrees.

13 - 17 . (canceled)

18 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein a maximum angle of the side surfaces with respect to the centre axis is in the interval from 2 to 10.

19 - 23 . (canceled)

24 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said curvature is given by the formula: ⊖=2⊖ 2 −⊖ 1 , where ⊖ 1 is the emission angle of a light ray with respect to said horizontal direction and ⊖ 2 is the angle of the tangent to the circumferential surface with respect to horizontal at the point of incidence of said light ray.

25 . The endoscope of claim 24 , wherein
said cross-section defines four corners arranged with a 90° spacing around said centre axis so as to provide a first pair and a second pair of mutually opposing corners, wherein a first corner of the first pair opposes the second corner of the first pair along a first diagonal coincident with said vertical imaging direction, and wherein a first corner of the second pair opposes the second corner of the second pair along a second diagonal coincident with said horizontal imaging direction.

26 . The endoscope of claim 25 , wherein further corners are provided between said first pair of mutually opposing corners and said second pair of mutually opposing corners.

27 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said cross-section defines four corners arranged with a 90° spacing around said centre axis so as to provide a first pair and a second pair of mutually opposing corners, wherein a first corner of the first pair opposes the second corner of the first pair along a first diagonal coincident with said vertical imaging direction, and wherein a first corner of the second pair opposes the second corner of the second pair along a second diagonal coincident with said horizontal imaging direction.

28 . The endoscope of claim 27 , wherein further corners are provided between said first pair of mutually opposing corners and said second pair of mutually opposing corners.

29 . The endoscope of claim 28 , wherein the number of further corners is a multiple of four, in particular four or eight.

30 . The endoscope of claim 29 , wherein the corners of said first pair of mutually opposing corners and said second pair of mutually opposing corners are convex corners as seen from the inside of the lightguide.

31 . The endoscope of claim 30 , wherein said convex corners have an angle in the interval from 215° to 235°.

32 . The endoscope of claim 24 , wherein the corners of said first pair of mutually opposing corners and said second pair of mutually opposing corners are convex corners as seen from the inside of the lightguide.

33 . An endoscope according to claim 32 , wherein said convex corners have an angle in the interval from 215° to 235°.

34 . The endoscope of claim 27 , wherein the corners of said first pair of mutually opposing corners and said second pair of mutually opposing corners are concave corners as seen from the inside of the lightguide.

35 . The endoscope of claim 34 , wherein said concave corners have an angle in the interval from 125° to 145°.

36 - 40 . (canceled)

41 . The endoscope of claim 24 , wherein the angle of the corners with respect to the centre axis is between 0 and 3 degrees.

42 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the maximum angle of the side surfaces with respect to the centre axis is in the interval from 2 to 10 degrees.

43 - 44 . (canceled)

45 . A visualization system comprising a video processing apparatus (VPA) and the endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the endoscope is connectable to said VPA.

46 . The visualization system of claim 45 , wherein the VPA is configured to receive live video from the endoscope and output a video based on the received live video.

47 . (canceled)

48 . An endoscope comprising:
an insertion cord comprising a distal tip arranged at a distal end of the insertion cord, said distal tip comprising: an electronic image capture device having an image receptor having a height h in a vertical imaging direction and a width h in a horizontal imaging direction, a light source, a lightguide positioned distally from the light source, the lightguide comprising a proximal end, a distal end and a circumferential surface surrounding a centre axis and extending between said proximal end and said distal end, wherein said circumferential surface is configured to provide internal reflection of light emitted from the light source, and said circumferential surface defines cross-sections of said lightguide, wherein said cross-sections comprise four corners arranged around said centre axis, the four corners subdividing the circumfer

Assignees

• Ambu As

Inventors

• Sørensen Morten

Classifications

• A61B1/07 Primary

  using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres · CPC title

• A61B1/0684

  using light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• A61B1/0676

  at distal tip of an endoscope · CPC title

• A61B1/0623

  for off-axis illumination · CPC title

• A61B1/05

  characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion · CPC title