Patent ID: 7935050

Claim:
A scanned beam endoscope, comprising: a light source operable to provide light; an endoscope tip, comprising: an illumination optical fiber having an output end and an input end coupled to the light source; a scanner having a scan plate positioned to receive a beam output from the output end of the illumination optical fiber and operable to scan the beam across a field-of-view (FOV), the scanner having at least one opening located in a portion of the scanner other than the scan plate, the output end of the illumination optical fiber positioned so that the beam output therefrom passes through the at least one opening; and at least one light detection element positioned to receive reflected light from the FOV and positioned in at least one of the at least one openings; and a display coupled to the at least one light detection element, the display operable to show an image characteristic of the FOV.