Using fibre optics in

endoscopes

By Jake Lee
Introduction to Fibre Optics
Optical fibres are tubes made out of glass or
plastic, that can carry information such as images
along their length.

They are much more useful than traditional metal

wires for carrying information, as it can be
transported much quicker (up 111 gigabits/s) and
will not be affected by kinks in the wire. It can also
be cheaper to produce and install.

They carry information using Total Internal

Reflection, which is explained on the next slide.
Total Internal Reflection
The larger the angle to the normal (90° from
surface), the less light escapes through the
surface. Eventually, no light will escape, which is
called Total Internal Reflection.
In this diagram, the
blue line shows total
internal reflection off
the horizontal
surface.
The red line shows
light escaping
because of the small
angle to the normal.
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means to look inside, and generally
means using an instrument made of a group of
fibre optic cables to look inside a person, for
medical reasons.

Each fibre can only carry one colour, so a

endoscope must have 1000 fibres if the image is to
Endoscopes have a screen on them,
have 1000 pixels.
which displays what is on the other
end of the fibre optic grouping.
Structure of fibre optic cables
(By eye)
Fibre optic cables are usually made up of 4 parts.

1. The core, (~8 µm diameter), is where all of the

light travels through.

2. The cladding (~125 µm diameter) is made of

glass or plastic, and is the surface that causes
total internal
reflection.

3/4. The coating / buffer (~750 µm

diameter) is also made out of glass
or plastic, and helps to protect the
inside of the fibre optic cable.
Structure of fibre optic cables
(Microscopic / Atomic)
The core of the fibre optic cable is usually made
from pure silica, a type of plastic. So long as it is
pure, almost no light is lost along the journey.

This is mainly because light can travel through it

easily at a wide range of wavelengths. It also has
many other useful properties, such as not
absorbing water, and being easy to draw into thin
strands.

Because SiO2 (pictured) has a full outer shell,

it is not very reactive with anything else, so
impurities are not very common.
Bibliography
Source Information gathered
Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday
Types of endoscopy
.com/articles/153737.php
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Slide 2: Fibre optic
/Fibre_optics#Optical_fiber speed
_communication

Lanshack
http://www.lanshack.com/fiber
Slide 2: Copper wires
-optic-tutorial-basics.aspx vs Fibre optics
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Slide 3: Diagram
/Total_internal_reflection

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Slide 4: Image &
/Fibre_optics#Single-mode_fiber Diameter information
Integrated Publishing
http://www.tpub.com/neets/tm/106-8.
Slide 4: Fibre optic
htm structure
Bibliography
Source Information gathered
Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican
Slide 5: General info
.com/article.cfm
?id=what-determines-whether-a
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Slide 5: Silica structure
/Silica#Crystal_structure

Direct Industry
http://www.directindustry.com/prod/skf
Slide 6: Image
-maintenance-and-lubrication-products/video-
borescope-18813-363476.html