Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIBERSCOPE SVST.- ~
BACKGROUND OF THE I~ "7TION
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Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to optical fiber devices
- with particular reference to i~?rovements in fiberscope
-~ image relay systems.
: Discussion of the Prior Art~
- Flexible fiberscopes conven~ionally contain
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lo a "coherent" image transporting riber bundle to relay - -
- an image fro~ distal end to an eyepiece, camera, ~~
-- screen or other viewing means. Tne expression "coherent"
:j- in the present case is intended to refer to identical
- geometrical patterning of opposite ends o~ bundle ~ -
- 1~ fibers, i.e. thousands of fibers are required to
-- be precisely aligned into an identical pattern at
_ both ends of a coherent bundle. This involves tedious
: and expensive operations and .he need to seriously
- limit the length of the bundle.
Non-coherent or randomly arrangea fiber bun21es
- are notably easier to make, less expensive and can
be produced in great lengths bu. have not been previously
considered useful in image transpor.ing syste~s since
fiber randomness (scram~ling) renders relayed images
unrecognizable. - ;~
- It is an obje~t of thA present invention,
however, to use the easier to ~anufac~ure and less -~
expensive ~non-coherent" fiber bundles in fiberscope
image relay systems. --
More particularly, the invention provides
a fiberscope system using a non-coherent fiber bun~le
together with means for displaying the images transPor~ea
by the bundle in recognizable fashion ~unscrambled}.
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Also, there is the objective of fiberoptically
transport,ing recognizable images over unusual distances.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages of the
invention are accomplished with a fiberscope system utilizing
a bundle of randomly arranged optical fibers are image
tranSporting means. Such bundles, being adaptable to manufacture
in exceptionally long lengths and of fused silica for high
transmlssion, are p~ovided with image decoding means for
presenting a recognizable display of the transported images,
i.e. images transported through the bundle to its receiving
end are reconstructed from the fixed pattern of fiber randomness
of the particular bundle used.
Therefore, in a fiberscope system including an
elongated fiber optic probe hav~ng a distal image-receiving
end and proximal image-emitting end, the improvement according
to the present invention comprising: the probe containing-an
image-transporting bundle of randomly juxtapositioned fibers
extending from the distal to proximal ends of the probe,
opposite ends of the fibers being respectively fixed in patterns
of existing randomness and the ends affording differently
geometrically patterned image-receiving and emitting faces of
the bundle. Means are provided for producing recognizable
optical images of objects to be transported by the system upon
the image-receiving face to the bundle for conduction through
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the bundle and emission in scrambled fashion from the
differently patterned emitting faces. Receiving means
electrooptically receive and decode the scrambled images for
display in recognizable fashion.
Details of the invention will become more
readily apparent from the following description when taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
IN THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a preferred
embodiment of the system of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary illustration of a
modification of the Fig. 1 system;
Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary illustration
of another modiflcation of the Fig. 1 system; and
- Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates system
encoding.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ~MBODIMF~.~TS
In system 10 of Fig. 1 there is illustrated
fiberscope probe 12 containing flexible image transporting
optical fiber bundle 14, fiberoptic light guide 16
coupled to light source 17 for illumina.ing objects
: . to be observed with system 10 and objective lens
. means 18 for presenting images of the obiects to
- . : the receiving face 20 of bundle 14. Flexible sheath 22 .-
- :. 10 affords protection for the above components.
.... -. To the extent thus far described probe 12 . .
.-......... is of conventional design (bundle 14 excepted) and
; . may include various additional channelling for biopsy
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- or aspiration and/or objective.~ocussing mechanisms .-
: - 15 wit~.~ or without distal articulation. .Those interested
- in such details may refer to U.S.- Patents Nos. - .-
: 3,091,235 and-3,913,568 which exemDlify particular ~- -
. forms of fiberscope probes to which the present invention
is applicable but in no sense restricted. ~ . -
According to this invention, image transporting
bundle 14 is constructed of randomly arranged op.ical
-~ . fibers 24 tightly juxtapositioned at opposite image - .~
. receiving and emitting faces 20 and 26 respectively. ~ :.
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-. Thus, as discussed above, bundle 14 will be referred- ~ -
25 to as "incoherent" wherewith images transported thereby
will be emitted at face 26 in a scrambled, i.e. -
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~unrecognizable-fashion and ordinarily not useful
in a fiberscope system. .` .
` In view of images received at face 26 being
scrambled and ordinarily unrecognizable, means are.
presently provided for decoding the fiber 24 randomness ---
so that incoherent bundle 14 is rendered useful as
an image transmitter in sys.tem 10. To this end,
image emitting face 26 of bundlé 14 is directly or
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optically coupled to an electronic pick-up 28 such
as a conven~ional vidicon or charge-coupled device
- lCCD3 from which electrical signals correspo'nding
_, to the light and shade of the received scrambled ' '
~ image are directed to image processor 30. Processor 30
- comprises micro-computer decoder 32 and video display 34.
, With "memory" storage of the input pattern--
- of fibers at face 20 of bundle 14 in decoder 32 and ',,~' '
- , its receipt of signals corresponding to patterning - -- ,~-,
'-' 10 ,of the scrambled image received from pick-up 28, ' ' '~
, image scrambling is decoded-and reconstructed as '' -- ;'-~
'-,' a signal which is fed to video display 34 for,viewing ' ' -''-'
- , on cathode ray tube (CRT) 36. -' -' ' ' ~'' ,--
''' ~ Non-coherent bundle 14, although of rando~
- l; fiber 24 arrangement, has a fixed pattern of randomness-`' ' ,--
which, once decoded by decoaer 30, permits recogn;zable '-~ - y~
,- , coherent images to be displayed on CR~ 36 with use, ',- ~~ '' - of system 10. - -~ ' ~- -,' '
- In Fig. 1, pick-up 28 is illustrated as being '
' 20 optically coupled to face 26 of bundle 14 by means ' , -
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of conventional imaging lens 38 needing no furtherdescription. Alternatively, direct optical coupling , ',',
of pick-up 28 may be accomplished as illustrated
, ,in Fig. 2, i.e. with an optical fiber taper '40~ - ~ ,'~' --
Suitable tapers are disclosed in U.S. Patents Nos. - ~' ''- '-,
~2,992,516 and 2,992, 587. Vidicon 42 coupIing to ' ~~''
bundle 14 may be similarly accomplishea wi~h taper 44
--:' as illustrated in Fig. 3. - ' ' ''' - ~- ' '' '
Referring more particularly to the ~atter
of providing the above input pattern for "memoryn -'
storage in decoder 32, the-system illustrated în ' ' - '~
Fig. 4 may be employed, e.g. as a one-time operation
for each bundle 14 intended for use. As already , -
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' mentioned, whatever randomness of fiber patterning
may exist for a particular bundle 14, it is permanent
- in the finally fabricated bundle, i.e. be~ore used
in a ~iberscope system.
As shown in Fig. 4, bundle 14 is coupled to ' ' '
'decoder 32 of image processor 30 with pick-up 28 '' ~ ` '
~ and taper 40a~ Lens 38 of Fig. 1 may,be used in ' -,,
, ,- place of taper 40a. Placing image receiving face'20 ' ' ''-'''-~
- - in line with CRT flying spot scanner 46 and relay -'~
-' 10 lens 48, single s~ot "object" scanning of face 20 ---
and re~ording of the resulting output spot pattern '';
on face 26 in the "memory" of decoder 32 provides -
--- the decoder with the capability of reconstructing ,'' ,""'~
image scrambling resulting from bundle 14 fiber randomness.;--
' 'X~ 15 ,, d It is to be understood that the above memory,,-
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- ~ s orage of scrambled input imase may also be accomplisne'd -~-
~ ', by mechanically scanning face 20 of bundle la with ' -~
a spot of light. Details of the image processor
30 electronics and/or structur~ will not ~e dealt - ' -'
with herein since they are well within presently - ' -'' , ,
available technology and are not per'se a part o~ ' ~'
the present invention. Suitable equipment is commercially ~ ~'
-,,' available from Xycon of Saline, Michigan.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate-
-; 25 that ~here are various other forms and adaptations -'' - - -"
- of the invention which may be made to suit particular
requirements and, accordingly, the present illustrations
are not to be interpreted as restrictive of the invention
beyond that necessitated by th~ following cleims.
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