Endoscope, Stereoscope, Gimbaled Mirrors
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Gimbaled Mirror Stereoscope Endoscope has been designed and developed where a converging laser light beam is directed to a target site by gimbal-mounted mirrors. The mirrors have a pair of apertures through which the target is viewed simultaneously by a stereomicroscope. To locate the focal point of the operating light beam, diverging light from a marker light source is reflected back through the microscope. The mirrors have reflecting means mounted over the mirror apertures. The marker light beam provides a virtual image, which appears to the viewer as a spot coincident with the focal point of the operating light beam. A joystick is mechanically linked to the mirrors such that the light beam, along with the marker light spot, may be steered to any desired location within a few degrees of the central optical axis of the microscope. Provisions are available for using a conventional stereomicroscope's self-contained light source for the marker light source.
A conventional stereo operation microscope can be mounted as an endoscope laser accessory allowing an unobscured view of the target. When the laser light beam is applied at the desired location it can be observed stereoscopically in real time. The microscope has a pair of separate optical systems with separate eyepieces and a common objective lens.
Source: U.S. Patent Number 3,796,220 ; Herbert C. Bredemeier, Sherborn, MA
Reference: None Available
Industrial Products
posted by JD52 @ 9:54 PM,
