Endoscope incorporating solid optical fibres - has eyepiece fitting over external end of viewing fibre, which is parallel to hollow tube available for medical use

摘要

Endoscope employing optical fibres normally have the eyepiece mounted at the side of the near end of the instrument. This requires an additional prism to deflect the light beam. Moreover precise physical alignment is made more difficult by the flexible nature of the fibre. This is overcome by making the fibre into a solid rod which terminates directly at the eye piece. The optical fibre (22) which receives the reflected light is bent at an obtuse angle and terminates at the eyepiece (14). It is solid throughout its length. A slit (26) in the side of the tube (13) which forms part of the eyepiece unit allows the latter to be pushed over the fibre during assembly. The illuminating and viewing fibres (22,24) both lie parallel to a hollow tube (18) of metal or stiff plastics to permit the introduction of a catheter or surgical instrument.