Patent · US Active

Miniaturized optically imaging system with high lateral and axial resolution

US7511891B2 · kind B2 · utility

109Cited by
4References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 26, 2007
Grant dateMar 31, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 28, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01J1/0204
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The invention is directed to a miniaturized optically imaging system with high lateral and axial resolution for endomicroscopic applications. To provide a miniaturized optical head which permits an appreciable increase in photon efficiency with high lateral and axial spatial resolution compared to conventional GRIN optics the plane side of a refractive, plano-convex, homogeneous lens defines a plane entrance surface of the optical system, and first and second GRIN lenses are arranged along the optical axis orthogonal to the entrance surface, wherein the first GRIN lens being arranged downstream of the refractive lens for reducing the divergence of the highly divergent light bundle transmitted from the object through the refractive lens, and the second GRIN lens being provided for adapting the light bundle transmitted by the first GRIN lens to the aperture and object field size of the downstream transmission system.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.