Patent Abstract:
The invention concerns a microscope having a power and data transfer system between a microscope body ( 1 ) and an external control device or peripheral device ( 2, 13 ). According to the present invention, the power line ( 4 ) and data line ( 7 ) are laid physically together and are of integrated configuration, thus implementing a lightweight connection comprising few individual cables.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/180,557 filed Feb. 4, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The invention relates generally to surgical microscopes, and more particularly to an improved configurations for linking a microscope body to an external power supply, control device, and light source.  
           [0004]    B. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    A “surgical microscope” for the purposes of the invention is understood to be a microscope that is movable with respect to an object and thus possesses a certain flexibility in terms of any connections to external devices. Such microscopes are very often used in surgical operations. Such microscopes are often also used for industrial or commercial applications.  
           [0006]    Such microscopes often have an integrated illumination system in which the light source is built into the microscope. Often, however, the light source is remotely located so as to minimize heating, weight, and housing dimensions in the region of the microscope body. With such external accessories, the light is directed through a light guide from the external light source to the microscope body, and through the latter onto the surgical field.  
           [0007]    In addition, such microscopes—and video cameras incorporated into them—are often equipped with control elements, for example remotely controllable displacement mechanisms or actuators which comprise on the one hand electrical drive systems but also, on the other hand, sensors or the like whose signals are analyzed in external control systems or circuits.  
           [0008]    Such microscopes are often located on the extension arms of stands, while the external devices and control systems are housed in the column region of the stand.  
           [0009]    The connection between the external devices and the microscope body or the terminals located thereon is accomplished via flexible lines such as light guides, electrical cables, electronic data lines, etc. As a rule there are numerous such lines, which in many applications are a hindrance. In some cases they interfere with visibility, are heavy, result in jamming and limitations of movement, and moreover look untidy. In addition, they are susceptible to malfunction or can cause failures by being damaged. In the field of surgical microscopy, they result in increased surface areas which thus make the overall structure more susceptible to soiling.  
           [0010]    The assignee of the present application has already taken initial steps intended to remedy this unfavorable situation. Assignee&#39;s OH stand had provided, between stand arms, a flexible hose through which all the various cables were pulled. This hose was relatively bulky and inflexible, however, and did not make optimum use of space since it had to be made sufficiently large for subsequent installation of an undetermined number of cables, even if not all the cables were pulled through. The dead weight of the hose moreover increased the weight of the stand arms in question.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    It is thus the object of the invention to implement the connection between the external devices and the microscope body in as lightweight, easily movable, and retrofittable a fashion as possible, and with as few cables as possible.  
           [0012]    The present invention, as broadly defined, achieves this principal object on the basis of a physical size reduction and simultaneous weight reduction. Further improved or developed ways of achieving the object, with greater integration and greater advantages over the existing art, are evident from the various embodiments described herein.  
           [0013]    A preferred configuration of a cable according to the present invention, which optionally can also be used independently of the invention, is coaxially multi-layered, one of the layers, but preferably the core of the cable, being configured as a mirror optical system or fiber optical system or as a liquid light guide, while at least two layers are configured as an at least two-pole power cable. Preferably connected to the light-guide portion of such a cable are electro-optical converters for the transfer of control, sensor, and video signals, while the power supply is connected to the power portion.  
           [0014]    Further improvements and details of the invention are evident from the drawings, which depict exemplary embodiments according to the present invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]    The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment taken with the accompanying drawing figure, in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows a schematic complete surgical microscope according to the present invention, on a stand, with corresponding external devices;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 shows a detail of a light guide modified in accordance with the invention, having electro-optical data converters and apparatuses for reflecting light in and out;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows another light guide with special armoring;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 shows a detail of the armoring as shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 shows a variant of the light guide as shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 shows a further variant of the light guide as shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 shows a multi-strand cable as power and data carrier; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 shows a two-pole cable that serves as both a power line and a data line. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    The figures will be described in overlapping fashion. Identical parts bear identical reference characters; different parts having functions that are identical in principle bear identical reference characters with differing indices. The figures do not limit the invention, but rather are intended as possible exemplary embodiments.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration with a stand  11  that bears a microscope body  1  and various external devices  12 . These comprise, for example, a computer  13  for control and measurement tasks, a light source  10  for providing light flux that can be used as a power supply  5  and/or directed to microscope body  1  and onto a surgical field. A power connection  4   c  in the form of a light guide transmits power in the form of light flux. A control device is connected to remotely controlled drive systems in the microscope, for example via a data connection  7   c  integrated, in accordance with the invention, into power connection light guide  4   c . The microscope thus comprises a terminal  3  for power connection  4   c  and a terminal  6  for the data connection.  
         [0026]    In this example, the data connection is implemented via electro-optical converters  9   a  and  9   b  that convert electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa. These signals are reflected into and out of light guide  4   c  via beam splitters or mirrors  14   a  and  14   b , so that by way of these, both the light flux from the light source and the optical signals from converter  9   a  are sent to the microscope, and optical signals from converter  9   b  are sent in the other direction to computer  13  and to control device  2 .  
         [0027]    An extremely wide variety of combinations lies within the context of the invention. For example, the power that is to be transferred can be optical and/or electrical power, while the data can be electrical and/or optical signals. This includes the case in which electrical signals are transferred over the light guide by light modulation.  
         [0028]    Some of the possibilities are explained with references to the examples shown in FIGS. 3 through 8:  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 7 shows a relatively simple configuration which does not provide any integrated light flux transfer, but does provide an electrical power transfer in power wires  4   a  of a multi-strand cable  8   a , while data transfer occurs in data lines  7   a  of the same cable  8   a.    
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 8 uses only a two-pole power cable  4   b  that is of twisted configuration for better shielding effect. By way of this power cable, a high-frequency (relative to the power flow) data transfer is performed simultaneously; for this purpose, corresponding signal couplers  15   a  and  15   b  are provided, which are connected at the other end to terminal  6  and to computer  13  or control device  2 .  
         [0031]    Signal couplers of this kind are optionally also provided in configurations according to FIGS. 3 through 5, if the electrical lines are also intended to be used for data purposes in the case of these configurations.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 6 shows a light guide  4   e  that has as its core a two-pole electrical cable  4   g.    
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 3 shows another light guide in which a two-pole cable (in this example, a coaxial cable)  4   h  is wound as armoring around light guide  4   d . For strengthening purposes, a tubular sheath  16  is also pulled on as an outer layer.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 shows a detailed depiction of the coaxial cable according to FIG. 3, which of course in addition to power transfer could also be used for data transfer (although with less bandwidth than in the case of light). In this example, what is intended is a data transfer via light guide  4   d.    
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 5 shows a combination of the examples shown in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 6, with a single-pole armoring  4   f   2  that, for example, can also be constituted from a conventional corrugated metal tube, and with a single-pole core  4   f   1  inside light guide  4   e.  This configuration also results in a favorable shielding effect due to the coaxial configuration of electrical conductors  4   f   1  and  4   f   2 . Data can thus be transmitted through these easily and without interference, so that data transfer via light guide  4   e  can optionally be dispensed with.  
         [0036]    The signals mentioned above preferably comprise amplitude-modulated or frequency-modulated current, or light including nonvisible light wavelength regions, for example infrared.  
         [0037]    The invention encompasses, on the one hand, corresponding modulation of the electrical or light fluxes that are flowing in the manner of power, and/or the fact that electrical or optical signals are sent, parallel to these flow power fluxes, over the same line in each case.  
                                         List of Reference Characters:                                 1   Microscope body        2   Control device        3   Power terminal        4   Power connection        5   Power supply unit        6   Data terminal        7   Data connection        8   Cable        9   Conversion device; electro-optical converter       10   Light source       11   Stand       12   External devices       13   Computer       14   Beam splitter       15   Signal coupler       16   Tubular sheath

Technology Classification (CPC): 6