Abstract: An apparatus for medical inspection comprising a hand-held medical diagnostic instrument having a battery pack for providing energy to a light source for illuminating the target area, a housing, a charger for charger the battery pack that is integral with the housing and adapted to provide electric energy to the battery pack to charge the battery pack, a video adapter detachably coupled to the medical diagnostic instrument, video processing circuitry contained within the housing and an umbilicus for connecting the video adapter to the video processing circuitry.

Abstract: A laparoscope is constructed with a plug-in module containing video processing circuitry and coupled through a flexible umbilical to a rigid or partly rigid insertion tube that contains a miniature video camera. A fiber optic bundle for illumination has a bifurcated proximal end with two portions each terminating in respective sleeves that project from the module. The sleeve projects from the module. The sleeves position the illumination bundle portions at the focussed spot of light produced by respective low-power metal halide discharge lamps. A rotary vane shutter is servo controlled to limit the amount of light entering the fiber optic bundle so that the monitor video picture is kept at a constant level. The metal sleeve for the fiber optic bundle ends serve as grounding elements, and are coupled by a grounding pigtail within the module to a ground conductor in the umbilical. A test opening with a threaded plug serves as a pressure test port.

Abstract: A plug-in module for a video probe has a housing which contains video processing circuitry to receive a video output from a miniature video imager and produces a video signal suitable to apply, without further processing, to a video monitor. The module plugs into a mating socket of a power and illumination unit. A fiber optic bundle extends into a sleeve protruding from a proximal face of the module, and is positioned at the focus of a small, high efficacy lamp assembly. The housing of the plug-in module environmentally seals the electronic circuitry.

Abstract: A hand-held diagnostic instrument includes a casing having a hand-holdable body portion and a neck portion that extends from the body portion to a head portion that is formed of a back cover and a front cover. A circuit board assembly in the body portion contains video processing circuitry, and a flexible neck board extends forward from the body portion through the neck portion of the casing to a head board located in the head portion of the casing. A solid state imager and a miniature lamp are disposed on the head board. The front cover contains an adjustable focus lens cell for focusing on the imager an image of a target in the lens cell's field of view. The instrument provides a monitor-ready standard format full color video signal.

Abstract: An improved hand-held diagnostic dental probe includes a casing that having a hand-holdable body portion, a neck portion that extends from the body portion to a head portion that is formed of a back cover and a front cover. A circuit board assembly in the body portion contains video processing circuitry, and a flexible neck board extends forward from the body portion through the neck portion of the casing to a head board located in the head portion of the casing. A solid state imager and a miniature lamp are disposed on the head board. The front cover contains an adjustable focus lens cell for focusing on the imager an image of a target in the lens cell's field of view. The instrument provides a monitor-ready standard format full color video signal.

Abstract: A hand-held, fully remote diagnostic instrument having video capability is configured for any one of a number of clinical or industrial applications. The instrument has a casing that includes a hand-holdable body portion, a neck portion that extends from the body portion to a head portion that is formed of a back cover, a front cover, and a sealing gasket to form a fully soakable instrument. A circuit board assembly in the body portion contains video processing circuitry, and a flexible neck board which extends forward from the body portion through the neck portion of the casing to a head board located in the head portion of the casing. A solid state imager and a miniature lamp are disposed on the head board. The front cover contains an adjustable focus lens cell for focusing on the imager an image of a target in the lens cell's field of view. The instrument can be configured for various applications by installing front and back covers that are suited for a specific purpose.

Abstract: A laparoscope is constructed with a plug-in module containing video processing circuitry and coupled through a flexible umbilical to a rigid or partly rigid insertion tube that contains a miniature video camera. A fiber optic bundle for illumination has a bifurcated proximal end with two portions each terminating in respective sleeves that project from the module. The sleeve project from the module. The sleeves position the illumination bundle portions at the focussed spot of light produced by respective low-power metal halide discharge lamps. A rotary vane shutter is servo controlled to limit the amount of light entering the fiber optic bundle so that the monitor video picture is kept at a constant level. The metal sleeve for the fiber optic bundle ends serve as grounding elements, and are coupled by a grounding pigtail within the module to a ground conductor in the umbilical. A test opening with a threaded plug serves as a pressure test port.

Abstract: This invention involves a lighting system for a portable borescope in which the light is turned on and off at video frequencies and the duration of actuation is controlled in relation to the illumination picked up by the video imager in the distal end of the borescope insertion tube. By turning off the lamp for a significant portion of the duty cycle, a significant amount of power is saved, allowing use of the system in a battery operated borescope.

Abstract: A portable steerable borescope has a cable bendable steering section adjacent the viewing head, a servo control mechanism for the actuation cables of the bendable steering section, a joystick for actuating the steering section which is located remotely from the insertion tube and a control module/battery pack containing all the operating functions except for the video display which is a standard JVC portable color video monitor, all of which cooperate to yield a compact and portable industrial video borescope that can be used in remote locations as well as in conventional commercial power environments. Special circuitry has been provided to limit power consumption allowing over one hour remote operation without external power or large, heavy cumbersome batteries.

Abstract: This invention involves a cable bendable borescope in which opposing cable pairs are displaced to deflect the tip of the borescope in the perpendicular planes of motion. A servo motor is connected to each pair of actuating cables to selectively displace one or the other in accordance with the rotation of the servo motor. A control circuit for rotating the servo motors has a pulse generation network and a modulator circuit for modulating the pulse width to control the degree of rotation of the servo motors. A joystick type of actuator for the control circuit creates a change in variable potentiometers for the two directions of motion of the joystick which, in turn, causes the control circuit to rotate the servo motors for the corresponding plane of motion to produce the desired deflection of the tip of the borescope insertion tube. Tension control, centering and component compensation circuits are provided to limit stress on the cables.