Welch Allyn, Inc.

Joseph A Ciarlei

Dominick A Danna

Allan I Krauter

Jon R Salvati

John R Strom

Michael J Pileski

Michael C Stone

Gary L Rink

Apparatus for use with a light box having a high output light source contained within a housing includes a rotatable turret assembly capable of supporting a corresponding number of optical fiber bundles. The turret assembly is eccentrically mounted relative to an illumination axis of the contained light source. A glass rod is fixedly disposed at substantially the focal point of an exiting beam of the light source along the illumination axis, allowing each of the supported fiber bundles to be selectively rotated into and out of alignment to provide efficient light coupling while preventing premature degradation of the optical fibers while electrically isolating the turret assembly.

Adapter assembly for light source

A case of the type for carrying and using an instrument having an insertion tube, a control handle, and a light box having therein a fan, the case comprising a body with a removable cover, a primary cavity in the body for snugly receiving the light box therein, oriented so that controls on the light box are accessible to a user, a secondary cavity in the body for receiving a control handle attached to the insertion tube therein, and a coil of tubular material, having a low coefficient of friction, positioned within the secondary cavity, and having an open proximal end into which the insertion tube can be slidably received for storage. The case is structured to promote cooling the of light box.

Case for video probe

A shipping and storage case for a borescope or endoscope has a coil of a tubular low-friction material, such as PVC tubing, to receive the borescope's flexible insertion tube. The coil can be in a form of a flat spiral positioned adjacent one side wall of the shell, or in the form of a helical spiral positioned adjacent the side walls within the case. The coil of tubing provides a convenient way for insertion tubes to be packaged and protected during shipping and storage.

Case for flexible borescope and endoscope insertion tubes

A control unit for a steerable probe of the type having a flexible insertion tube and a distal steering section which is articulated by displacing a pair of steering cables has a pair of pulleys which can be displaced within the housing to take up slack on the cables. A carrier plate for threaded sheath adjusters for the cable sheaths has a pair of threaded bores for the adjusters and a second pair of threaded bores that extend from the periphery of the carrier plate into the first bores. A pair of threaded set screws lock the adjusters at locking positions relative to the carrier plate. A plurality of set screws are distributed about the circumference of the distal end of the control housing. These set screws releasable engage the proximal portion of a strain relief fitting. This permits the strain relief fitting and the associated insertion tube to be rotated to a desired position relative to the housing. Then the strain relief fitting can be locked to the housing at the desired position, with the insertion tube bending access aligned with the access of the control housing.

Adjustable steering control for flexible probe

A light chopper wheel for use in a video system that is capable of producing either black and white or full color images. The wheel is formed of two circular sheet metal plates that are joined in back-to-back contact. A first series of circumferentially spaced color filter windows are located about a first diameter on the wheel and a second series of clear windows are circumferentially spaced about a second diameter on the wheel so that a clear window is radially adjacent each color filter window. Recesses are stamped in the back of each plate behind each color filter window and filters are mounted between the plates within the recesses.

Light chopper assembly

An auxiliary light apparatus for a color video borescope has an auxiliary box that is connected by an umbilical to a receptacle on the video processor unit for the borescope. The insertion tube of the borescope has an interface module which normally connects to a receptacle in the video processor, but also fits a receptacle in the auxiliary box. A sequential primary color illumination is generated in the auxiliary box and supplied through the interface module and a fiber optic bundle in the insertion tube to the distal end of the tube to illuminate a remote target area.

Auxiliary light apparatus for borescope

An adaptor for coupling an endoscopic probe to a video processor for displaying a picture of a target upon a viewing screen. The probe contains an optical element at its proximal end for providing an image of the target. A camming mechanism is used to secure the proximal end of the probe in one end of the adaptor housing. A small camera having a solid state in an insertion barrel is attached to the adaptor housing by sliding the lens barrel into a receiving opening formed in the opposite end of the housing. A chamber separates the distal end of the lens barrel and the proximal end of the probe. The targeted image presented by the optical element of the probe is recorded upon an imager mounted in the camera lens barrel and transmitted to the processor for viewing on the screen. The lens barrel is held within the adaptor housing by a detent mechanism having a ball that engages a groove formed in the lens barrel. A hollow stud having an axial bore is threaded into the adaptor housing so that the stud passes into the ball seat. A spring is contained within the bore which urges the ball into engagement with the lens barrel. An air passage connects the bore of the stud with the chamber separating the camera lens barrel and the probe whereby any moisture accumulating within the chamber is drawn out of the adaptor housing by applying suction to the stud.

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Marcellus, NY, United States of America

Joseph A Ciarlei