Patent ID: 7599588
Filing Date: 2009-10-06
Classification: A61B,G02B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: an elongated member configured for imaging within an object, the elongated member including a second central body and a plurality of second optical fibers disposed about and extending longitudinally along the second central body, the elongated member having a second commonly beveled end forming a common second plane extending obliquely through both the second central body and the plurality of second optical fibers; and an optical coupler, the coupler comprising a housing comprising first and second openings, and the coupler comprising a first central body and a plurality of first optical fibers disposed about and extending longitudinally along the first central body, the first central body and the plurality of first optical fibers providing a first commonly beveled end located at the housing and forming a common first plane extending obliquely through both the first central body and the first optical fibers, and wherein the first optical fibers are extending away from the first beveled end and the housing through the first opening of the housing, the coupler configured to accept at the second opening of the housing the elongated member configured for imaging within an object, and wherein the coupler housing and the elongated member are configured to permit an end-user to insert the second beveled end of the elongated member into the second opening of the housing, with the elongated member extending away from the second beveled end and the housing through the second opening of the housing, such that the common second plane of the second beveled end of the elongated member butts against and mates in end-user-provided contacting self-alignment to the common first plane of the first beveled end to couple light between the plurality of the first optical fibers and the contacting self-aligned plurality of the second optical fibers of the elongated member, in which the pluralities of the first and second optical fibers are cut, at their respective beveled ends, from a single optical fiber assembly comprising a central body and a plurality of optical fibers disposed about the central body, to permit the end-user-provided contacting self-alignment, wherein the plurality of optical fibers are disposed about the central body in an encapsulation placement, wherein the encapsulation placement permits relative spatial variations in the placement of the optical fibers along a length of the optical fiber assembly according to equipment or process variation of the encapsulation.