Single-fiber flexible endoscope: general design for small size, high resolution, and wide field of view

Eric J. Seibel; Quinn Y. J. Smithwick; Chris M. Brown; Per G. Reinhall

doi:10.1117/12.413801

19 January 2001 Single-fiber flexible endoscope: general design for small size, high resolution, and wide field of view

Eric J. Seibel, Quinn Y. J. Smithwick, Chris M. Brown, Per G. Reinhall

Proceedings Volume 4158, Biomonitoring and Endoscopy Technologies; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.413801
Event: EOS/SPIE European Biomedical Optics Week, 2000, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

Flexible endoscopes currently used in medicine have a fundamental tradeoff. Either resolution or field of view (FOV) is sacrificed when the scope diameter is less than 3 mm, since the minimum pixel size is usually greater than 4 microns in a pixel-array such as a camera or fiber bundle. Thus, the number of pixels within the image plane determines the minimum size of a conventional scope. However, an image plane is not required for image acquisition using a scanning single-fiber scope. Both high resolution and wide FOV are possible in a scanning single-fiber scope of 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The technical challenge is to produce a two- dimensional scanned beam of light at the distal tip of the scope. By manipulating a resonant fiberoptic cantilever as the optical scanner, various 2-D scan patterns can be produced. The general design concepts and analyses of the fiberoptic scanner for scaling to small size and high resolution/FOV are reviewed. In our initial experimental tests, the size of the photon detector in a fiberoptic scanning scope is demonstrated to not affect image resolution, unlike existing endoscopes with pixel-based detector systems.

Citation Download Citation

Eric J. Seibel, Quinn Y. J. Smithwick, Chris M. Brown, and Per G. Reinhall "Single-fiber flexible endoscope: general design for small size, high resolution, and wide field of view", Proc. SPIE 4158, Biomonitoring and Endoscopy Technologies, (19 January 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.413801

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