Olympus has been granted a patent for an optical unit for endoscopes. The unit includes a moving barrel made of soft magnetic material to hold a lens, a fixed barrel to hold the moving barrel, yokes, a coil, a magnet, and a magnetic body member. The patent claims an optical unit with a fixed body, a moving body made of soft magnetic material, yokes, a coil, a magnet, and a magnetic body. GlobalData’s report on Olympus gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Olympus, AI-assisted medical imaging was a key innovation area identified from patents. Olympus's grant share as of September 2023 was 28%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Patent granted for an optical unit for endoscope
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11774742B2) describes an optical unit for use in an endoscope. The optical unit consists of a fixed body made of a non-magnetic material, a moving body made of a soft magnetic material, and an optical device held by the moving body. The fixed body has an inner surface and an outer surface, while the moving body is movable within the inner surface.
The optical unit also includes a first yoke and a second yoke arranged on the outer surface of the fixed body, with a coil wound around the fixed body between the yokes. A magnet is positioned on a partial portion of the outer surface of the coil, between the first and second yokes. Additionally, a magnetic body with a stronger magnetism than the moving body is arranged on a partial portion of the moving body, aligned perpendicular to the optical axis direction.
The patent further describes variations of the optical unit, including the use of multiple magnets and magnetic bodies arranged at different positions on the outer surface of the coil and the moving body. The coil may also have multiple longitudinal positions, each associated with a different magnet. A third yoke may be included between the first and second yokes, and the moving body may have a recess where the magnetic body is partially disposed.
The optical unit is designed to be used in an endoscope, specifically on the distal end portion of the insertion portion. The magnet and magnetic body are arranged along the optical axis direction, opposing each other through the coil and fixed body. The inner surface of the magnet and the outer surface of the magnetic body also oppose each other in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis.
The fixed body includes an inner flange that limits the movement of the moving body in the optical axis direction. The magnet is positioned distally relative to the inner flange. The magnet is formed as a plate that extends fully from the first yoke to the second yoke, with protrusions on the yokes sandwiching the magnet.
Overall, this patent describes an optical unit for an endoscope that utilizes magnets and magnetic bodies to control the movement of the optical device. The design allows for precise positioning and stability of the optical unit during use.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
