US 12,352,939 B2
Optical system, optical delay line and OCT apparatus
Rainer Heidemann, Dunfermline (GB)
Assigned to OPTOS PLC, Dunfermline (GB)
Filed by OPTOS PLC, Dunfermline (GB)
Filed on Apr. 1, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/837,343.
Claims priority of application No. 19167533 (EP), filed on Apr. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0319440 A1, Oct. 8, 2020
Int. Cl. G02B 17/02 (2006.01); A61B 3/10 (2006.01); G02B 17/04 (2006.01); G02B 17/06 (2006.01); G02B 17/08 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 17/023 (2013.01) [A61B 3/102 (2013.01); G02B 17/04 (2013.01); G02B 17/06 (2013.01); G02B 17/0856 (2013.01); G02B 2207/117 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical system, capable to admit a light beam, the optical system comprising:
a plurality of reflectors comprising a first reflector and a second reflector, the plurality of reflectors being configured to reflect the light beam wherein:
each of the reflectors is configured to reflect an incident light beam according to a number of passes, such that, for each pass of the number of passes, a path of the incident light beam and a path of the reflected light beam are parallel to each other;
each of the reflectors has a reflector center axis positioned centrally between the path of the incident light beam and the path of the reflected light beam; and
the first reflector and the second reflector are arranged relative to each other such that their respective reflector center axes do not overlap, thereby enabling the path of the light beam to pass at least one of the first reflector or the second reflector multiple times; and
in operation of the optical system:
the light beam reflected from the first reflector is incident on the second reflector and reflected by the second reflector back to the first reflector;
the light beam is incident on the first reflector first, before being incident on any other of the reflectors;
the light beam is last reflected by the first reflector such that, after the last reflection from the first reflector, the light beam is not incident on any other of the reflectors; and
at least one of the first reflector or the second reflector is movable in an adjustment direction that is orthogonal to its respective reflector center axis, thereby changing the number of passes in which incident light and reflected light are parallel, to permit a length of the light beam between the first reflector and the second reflector to be adjusted in discrete steps according to the changed number of passes.