Gharib Nirvana, Yousefi Darestani Mohammad Reza, Takahata Kenichi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Micromachines (Basel). 2025 Jan 20;16(1):111. doi: 10.3390/mi16010111.
This paper presents, for the first time, a rotary actuator functionalized by an inclined disc rotor that serves as a distal optical scanner for endoscopic probes, enabling side-viewing endoscopy in luminal organs using different imaging/analytic modalities such as optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy. This scanner uses a magnetic rotor designed to have a mirror surface on its backside, being electromagnetically driven to roll around the cone-shaped hollow base to create a motion just like a precessing coin. An optical probing beam directed from the probe's optic fiber is passed through the hollow cone to be incident and bent on the back mirror of the rotating inclined rotor, circulating the probing beam around the scanner for full 360° sideway imaging. This new scanner architecture removes the need for a separate prism mirror and holding mechanics to drastically simplify the scanner design and thus, potentially enhancing device miniaturization and reliability. The first proof-of-concept is developed using 3D printing and experimentally analyzed to reveal the ability of both angular stepping at 45° and high-speed rotation up to 1500 rpm within the biologically safe temperature range, a key function for multimodal imaging. Preliminary optical testing demonstrates continuous circumferential scanning of the laser beam with no blind spot caused by power leads to the actuator. The results indicate the fundamental feasibility of the developed actuator as an endoscopic distal scanner, a significant step to further development toward advancing optical endoscope technology.
本文首次展示了一种由倾斜盘式转子功能化的旋转致动器，该致动器用作内窥探头的远端光学扫描仪，能够使用光学相干断层扫描和拉曼光谱等不同成像/分析模式在腔道器官中进行侧视内窥镜检查。该扫描仪使用一个设计为背面有镜面的磁转子，通过电磁驱动使其绕锥形空心基座滚动，产生类似于旋转硬币的运动。从探头光纤发出的光学探测光束穿过空心锥体，入射并在旋转倾斜转子的后镜上弯曲，使探测光束围绕扫描仪循环，实现360°全侧面成像。这种新的扫描仪架构无需单独的棱镜镜和固定机构，从而大幅简化了扫描仪设计，进而有可能提高设备的小型化程度和可靠性。首个概念验证通过3D打印开发，并进行了实验分析，以揭示在生物安全温度范围内实现45°角步进和高达1500转/分钟的高速旋转的能力，这是多模态成像的一项关键功能。初步光学测试表明，激光束能够进行连续圆周扫描，且不存在由致动器电源引线导致的盲点。结果表明所开发的致动器作为内窥镜远端扫描仪具有基本的可行性，这是朝着推进光学内窥镜技术进一步发展迈出的重要一步。
