Patents by Inventor Francois Doussoux

Francois Doussoux has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8808171
    Abstract: An endoscopy device includes several light guides (1, 2, 3), each light guide having one or more optical fibers. The light guides are coupled with a sweeping system (4) arranged to direct an excitation light beam in alternation in one of the fibers of the guides from the proximal end of the guide including the one of the fibers. In this way, the proximal ends of the guides may make use of the same sweeping system, whereas the distal ends of the guides may be installed simultaneously in different zones of interest of an object or animal (10) under study for an almost simultaneous observation of the zones of interest. The invention also relates to an endoscopy method used in a device according to the invention. A device and a method according to the invention may be applied to quasi-simultaneous reflectance, fluorescence, multi-photon imaging of several areas of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Francois Lacombe, Bertrand Viellerobe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Aymeric Perchant
  • Patent number: 8764315
    Abstract: A connector to connect a fiber bundle probe to a light injection module including a tightening cam having an opening of a specified shape adapted to receive the fiber bundle probe, a cam driving coupled to the tightening cam, wherein the tightening cam is configured to translate in response to rotation of the cam driving until the tightening cam is blocked, at least one spring extending between the tightening cam and the cam driving, wherein the at least one spring is configured to resist when the cam driving is actuated by rotation and the tightening cam is blocked, and a locking mechanism to lock the cam driving into a selected position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Alexandra Rocher, Francois Doussoux, Sophie Clade, Sylvain Petit, Nicolas Boularot
  • Patent number: 8644663
    Abstract: An imaging device including an illumination module including at least one emitter for emitting at least one excitation beam, a scanning and injection module including an image guide, a proximal end and a distal end of which are linked by a plurality of optical fibers, and a scanning and injection optical system configured to alternately inject the at least one excitation beam into an optical fiber of the image guide from the proximal end of the image guide, and a detection module including at least one detector for detecting at least one luminous flux collected at the distal end of the image guide. At least one of the illumination module and the detection module is optically conjugated with the scanning and injection module by a conjugating optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Bertrand Viellerobe, Francois Lacombe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Patent number: 8300326
    Abstract: A miniaturized optical head provided to equip the distal end of a beam of flexible optical fibers scanned by a laser beam, is designed to come in contact with a sample and to excite the sample confocally. This optical head includes elements for correcting spherical aberrations and focusing members. The focusing members include: at least a first lens (L4) of high convergence associated with a spherical or hemispherical lens (L5) arranged at the distal end of the optical head, and elements for correcting the axial and lateral chromatic aberration provided with a single divergent lens (3b) whose curvature is substantially centered on the pupil of the optical fiber beam and arranged at the exact distance for this pupil for which the conditions of lateral achromatization coincide with the conditions of axial achromatization; this divergent lens being associated with a second convergent lens (L3a) in the form of a doublet (L3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Magalie Genet, Gilles Mathieu, Bertrand Viellerobe, François Doussoux, Nicolas Boularot, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Publication number: 20110317963
    Abstract: A connector to connect a fiber bundle probe to a light injection module including a tightening cam having an opening of a specified shape adapted to receive the fiber bundle probe, a cam driving coupled to the tightening cam, wherein the tightening cam is configured to translate in response to rotation of the cam driving until the tightening cam is blocked, at least one spring extending between the tightening cam and the cam driving, wherein the at least one spring is configured to resist when the cam driving is actuated by rotation and the tightening cam is blocked, and a locking mechanism to lock the cam driving into a selected position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Alexandra Rocher, Francois Doussoux, Sophie Clade, Sylvain Petit, Nicolas Boularot
  • Publication number: 20110133101
    Abstract: An imaging device including an illumination module including at least one emitter for emitting at least one excitation beam, a scanning and injection module including an image guide, a proximal end and a distal end of which are linked by a plurality of optical fibers, and a scanning and injection optical system configured to alternately inject the at least one excitation beam into an optical fiber of the image guide from the proximal end of the image guide, and a detection module including at least one detector for detecting at least one luminous flux collected at the distal end of the image guide. At least one of the illumination module and the detection module is optically conjugated with the scanning and injection module by a conjugating optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Bertrand Viellerobe, Francois Lacombe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Patent number: 7869679
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an illumination module comprising at least one emitter for emitting at least one excitation beam; a scanning and injection module comprising an image guide, a proximal end and a distal end of which are linked by a plurality of optical fibers; a scanning and injection optical system configured to alternately inject the at least one excitation beam into an optical fiber of the image guide from the proximal end of the image guide; a detection module comprising a detector for detecting a luminous flux collected at the distal end of the image guide, wherein at least one of the illumination module and the detection module is optically conjugated with the scanning and injection module using a conjugating optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Bertrand Viellerobe, Francois Lacombe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Publication number: 20100296178
    Abstract: A miniaturized optical head provided to equip the distal end of a beam of flexible optical fibres scanned by a laser beam, is designed to come in contact with a sample and to excite the sample confocally. This optical head includes elements for correcting spherical aberrations and focusing members. The focusing members include: at least a first lens (L4) of high convergence associated with a spherical or hemispherical lens (L5) arranged at the distal end of the optical head, and elements for correcting the axial and lateral chromatic aberration provided with a single divergent lens (3b) whose curvature is substantially centered on the pupil of the optical fibre beam and arranged at the exact distance for this pupil for which the conditions of lateral achromatization coincide with the conditions of axial achromatization; this divergent lens being associated with a second convergent lens (L3a) in the form of a doublet (L3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Inventors: Magalie Genet, Gilles Mathieu, Bertrand Viellerobe, Francois Doussoux, Nicolas Boularot, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Publication number: 20100234686
    Abstract: An endoscopy device includes several light guides (1, 2, 3), each light guide having one or more optical fibres. The light guides are coupled with a sweeping system (4) arranged to direct an excitation light beam in alternation in one of the fibres of the guides from the proximal end of the guide including the one of the fibres. In this way, the proximal ends of the guides may make use of the same sweeping system, whereas the distal ends of the guides may be installed simultaneously in different zones of interest of an object or animal (10) under study for an almost simultaneous observation of the zones of interest. The invention also relates to an endoscopy method used in a device according to the invention. A device and a method according to the invention may be applied to quasi-simultaneous reflectance, fluorescence, multi-photon imaging of several areas of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Francois Lacombe, Bertrand Viellerobe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Aymeric Perchant
  • Publication number: 20090097806
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an illumination module comprising at least one emitter for emitting at least one excitation beam; a scanning and injection module comprising an image guide, a proximal end and a distal end of which are linked by a plurality of optical fibers; a scanning and injection optical system configured to alternately inject the at least one excitation beam into an optical fiber of the image guide from the proximal end of the image guide; a detection module comprising a detector for detecting a luminous flux collected at the distal end of the image guide, wherein at least one of the illumination module and the detection module is optically conjugated with the scanning and injection module using a conjugating optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Bertrand Viellerobe, Francois Lacombe, Nicolas Boularot, Francois Doussoux, Nicolas Lavillonniere
  • Publication number: 20030219213
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the alignment and coupling of an optical waveguide fiber to an optical component. The method includes the steps of providing an optical component and forming an optical fiber alignment pin on a surface of the optical component. The method further includes the steps of providing an optical waveguide fiber, aligning an end of the optical waveguide fiber with the optical fiber alignment pin, and fusing the end of the optical waveguide fiber to the optical fiber alignment pin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2003
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Inventors: Laurent Blarasin, Marc Georges Brun, Francois Doussoux, Patrick Herve