US 11,835,770 B2
Automated fiber optic rotary joint
Loling Song, Chestnut Hill, MA (US); and Hendrik van Gorsel, Chestnut Hill, MA (US)
Assigned to ChiSquare Bioimaging LLC, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed by ChiSquare Bioimaging LLC, Brookline, MA (US)
Filed on Jan. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/156,600.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/965,562, filed on Jan. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0239911 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
Int. Cl. G02B 6/36 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A01K 29/00 (2006.01); A61N 5/06 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/3604 (2013.01) [A01K 29/005 (2013.01); A61B 5/6868 (2013.01); A61N 5/0622 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated fiber optic rotary joint, comprising:
a processor;
an electric motor communicably coupled to the processor for control thereby;
a shaft mechanically coupled to the electric motor for rotation thereby;
a sensor configured to detect angular position of the shaft and communicably coupled to the processor to provide information about the angular position of the shaft to the processor;
a first arm rigidly attached to the shaft for rotation therewith;
a second arm axially spaced apart from the first arm and coaxially disposed about the shaft, such that the shaft can rotate independently of the second arm;
a clutch coupled to the processor for control thereby and configured to mechanically couple the second arm to the shaft for rotation therewith, when the clutch is engaged;
an interlocking mechanism configured to maintain a position of the second arm when the clutch is disengaged;
a first optical element having a first port, a second port and a common port; and
a first optical fiber extending between the first arm and the second arm, such that at a predetermined angular position of the second arm, a first end of the first optical fiber is optically aligned with a first port and a second port of the first optical element via a common port of the first optical element;
wherein the processor is configured to automatically use the information about the angular position of the shaft to determine whether the first arm has rotated by at least a first predetermined amount and, if the processor detects that the shaft has rotated by at least the first predetermined amount:
cause the clutch to engage;
cause the motor to rotate the shaft a second predetermined amount in a direction same as rotation of the first arm; and
cause the clutch to disengage.