| US 7,558,455 B2 | ||
| Receiver aperture broadening for scanned beam imaging | ||
| Michael P. Weir, Blanchester, Ohio (US); John R. Lewis, Bellevue, Wash. (US); Amjad I. Malik, Bothell, Wash. (US); Christopher A. Wiklof, Everett, Wash. (US); Mathew D. Watson, Bellevue, Wash. (US); and Richard A. James, Woodinville, Wash. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio (US); and Microvision, Inc., Redmond, Wash. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 29, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/770,849. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2009/0002794 A1, Jan. 01, 2009 | ||
| Int. Cl. G02B 6/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 385—119 [385/116] | 28 Claims |
| 1. A scanning beam assembly comprising:
a beam generator to generate a beam of radiation;
at least one reflector configured to deflect the beam across a field of view; and
a light collecting fiber bundle including a fiber body which contains a plurality of multi-mode optical fibers and which is
disposed for each multi-mode optical fiber to receive radiation reflected from the field of view, wherein the optical fibers
have a distal end and a proximal end and the distal end has end surfaces that face in at least two different directions, wherein
the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to transmit radiation to the field of view, and wherein
the fiber body does not contain any optical fiber which is disposed to directly receive any of the beam of radiation deflected
from any of the at least one reflector.
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