Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Mitsuru Nishikawa

Koichi Tsuno

Kimizo Ono

Yoshikazu Nishiwaki

Toru Iwai

Atsushi Nakazawa

Tohru Iwai

Kunio Awazu

Bar code scanning apparatus

A fiberscope having a covering tube, an image fiber for transmitting picture images and equipped with an optical system at its tip end for focusing an image of an object to be observed, and light guides for transmitting light and placed along with said image fiber. The image fiber and the light guides are enclosed in said covering tube. A plastic body formed of substantially transparent material and convex shape is provided at front ends of the light guides. Liquid guide passages are also provided between an inner peripheral surface of the covering tube and outer peripheral surfaces of the image fiber and the light guides. Outlet ends of the light guides are arranged in positions substantially symmetrical with respect to an output end of the image fiber, and outlet ends of the liquid guide passages are arranged in positions substantially symmetrical with respect to the outlet end of the image fiber.

Fiberscope

An optical fiber sensor is composed of an outer portion generally in the form of a tube which constitutes an illumination light transmission path. Inside the tube is formed or inserted an image path for directing image light back to an observation point. A longitudinal hole may be formed beside or surrounding the image path for conducting a fluid to the observed location. The sensor is especially suitable for medical image catheter or endoscopic usage.

Optical fiber image sensor

A monitoring device for monitoring an interior conduit wall includes a plurality of sliding members each resiliently urged by equal amounts away from the device body toward the conduit wall, so that the device can be used in conduits of different diameters while always remaining substantially centered within the conduit.

Device for monitoring the interior of a conduit

A microlens for use with an optical fiber or the like. It comprises a single lens having a diameter of about 0.5 mm. It provides an ideal combination of the length of the lens with the refractive index of its opposite surfaces for a minimum curvature of field.

Microlens

A protective lid is provided in front of an image-forming lens mounted on the forward end of a picture image transmission line which comprises plural optical fibers bundled in alignment to be remotely controlled from the back end of the transmission line for opening/closing so that the image-forming lens may be protected from particles, vapor or poisonous gas when the transmission line is used in such atmosphere, thereby preventing deterioration of the quality of picture images to be formed.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Mitsuru Nishikawa