Endoscopic optical probe with a PZT actuator and MR tracker

A miniaturized optical probe with a magnetic-resistance (MR) position tracker and piezoelectric-transduce (PZT) mirror system was developed for endoscopic optical imaging. All of the optical components such as collimation and focal lenses, reflection mirror, PZT linear actuator and MR sensor were wholly packaged in a single scanning probe with a volume of 3.57 cm³. This endoscopic probe has the advantages of having a small volume, extended stroke length (4.5 mm), high scanning speed (18.2 mm/s), efficient recoupling ratio (78.3%) and high spatial resolution (11.7 μm) compared to conventional endoscopes. Consequently, it showed the potential for improving the endoscopic imaging system and utilizing the image-guided robotic surgery system.