MODULAR ROD LENS ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

摘要

A rod lens assembly having a flexible outer tube and a plurality of lens modules disposed in end-to-end relation therein. Each module comprises a rod lens secured within a protective cylindrical sleeve which extends axially beyond the end faces of the lens and which is provided near its ends with a pair of outwardly-projecting annular ribs. The ribs engage the inner surface of the flexible tube to support the modules in axial alignment with each other and to permit limited flexure of the outer tube without the transmission of bending or flexing forces to the modules themselves. The axial-projecting end portions of the sleeves serve as integral spacers which provide precise spacing between the opposing end faces of successive lenses when the tube is in its normal unflexed condition and which provide pivot points for the articulation of adjacent modules when the outer tube is flexed.