US 11,852,802 B2
Optical instrument for imaging and sensing using multicore fiber
Eric Swanson, Gloucester, MA (US)
Filed by Eric Swanson, Gloucester, MA (US)
Filed on Feb. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/676,129.
Application 16/704,851 is a division of application No. 15/147,775, filed on May 5, 2016, abandoned.
Application 17/676,129 is a continuation of application No. 16/704,851, filed on Dec. 5, 2019, granted, now 11,256,080.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/166,154, filed on May 26, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/163,532, filed on May 19, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/163,522, filed on May 19, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/157,131, filed on May 5, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0221708 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 23/26 (2006.01); G02B 6/02 (2006.01); G02B 23/24 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); G02B 6/28 (2006.01); G02B 6/35 (2006.01); G02B 6/32 (2006.01); G02B 6/34 (2006.01); G02B 6/42 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); F21V 8/00 (2006.01); G02B 6/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 23/26 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0066 (2013.01); A61B 5/0084 (2013.01); G02B 6/0008 (2013.01); G02B 6/02042 (2013.01); G02B 6/2861 (2013.01); G02B 6/32 (2013.01); G02B 6/34 (2013.01); G02B 6/3548 (2013.01); G02B 6/3586 (2013.01); G02B 6/425 (2013.01); G02B 23/2423 (2013.01); G02B 23/2469 (2013.01); A61B 1/00096 (2013.01); A61B 1/00167 (2013.01); A61B 1/00172 (2013.01); A61B 5/0068 (2013.01); A61B 5/0075 (2013.01); G02B 2006/0098 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical instrument comprising:
a) an optical source that generates an optical beam at an output;
b) a multicore fiber comprising an input optically coupled to the output of the optical source and comprising at least two optical fiber cores that are configured to deliver and collect light from a sample located external to the multicore fiber;
c) fixed distal optics optically coupled to a distal end of the multicore fiber, the fixed distal optics configured such that light from one of the at least two optical fiber cores is directed in a first fixed direction with respect to an axis of the multicore fiber and light from the other of the at least two optical fiber cores is directed in a second fixed direction with respect to the axis of the multicore fiber wherein the first fixed direction and the second fixed direction are different and
d) a receiver having an input optically coupled to each of the at least two optical fiber cores, the receiver configured to receive light collected from the sample and interferometrically combine the received light collected from the sample with light collected from a reference path,
wherein the interferometrically combined light from the different optical fiber cores having traversed different optical delays along their path from source to interferometric combining such that the interferometrically combined light from the different optical fibers cores show up in parallel at different intermediate frequencies (I.F) when converted into an electrical signal, so that an intermediate frequency is associated with light directed in the first fixed direction with respect to the axis of the multicore fiber and a different intermediate frequency is associated with light directed in the second fixed direction with respect to the axis of the multicore fiber, and so that the electrical signal can be separated and processed to yield information about the sample from measurements at two different fixed directions with respect to the axis of the multicore fiber.