Illumination system for endoscopy or microscopy

US8613538B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Andre Ehrhardt · Tuttlingen, DE
• Klaus Irion · Liptingen, DE
• Uwe Martin · Bad Hersfeld, DE
• Fang Lei · Durchhausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 24, 2007
• Grant date: Dec 24, 2013
• Expiry date: Sep 21, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B1/0684
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An illumination system for producing light and for launching the light into a proximal end of an optical cable of an observation apparatus for endoscopy or microscopy has a light source having at least one LED. In addition, the illumination system has an optical light guiding element between the light source and the proximal end of the optical cable for introducing the light emitted by the light source into the proximal end of the optical cable, wherein a first end region of the optical light guiding element on a side facing the light source has a smaller cross-sectional area than a second end region of the optical light guiding element on a side facing the proximal end of the optical cable. Furthermore, the illumination system has a cooling apparatus which has at least one cooling body and which is thermally conductively connected to the light source in order to remove heat produced by the light source from the illumination system. The cooling body is arranged completely on a side of the light source which is remote from the optical light guiding element.