OMNIVISION, a developer of semiconductor solutions, and Silicon Line, a leader in ultra-low-power optical link technology, have announced the availability of long, thin and flexible optical cables for endoscopes and catheters.

Silicon Line’s SL85018 serialiser/de-serialiser (SerDes) IC provides data transmission for OMNIVISION’s high-resolution, full HD and 4K MIPI D-PHY-based image sensors, without having any significant heat or excessive power consumption. Arthroscopy Instruments For Sale

The solution uses only one extremely thin optical fibre in place of 10 copper wires for ultra-thin, light and flexible cables between the endoscope camera and camera control unit (CCU). Silicon Line’s ultra-low power SerDes consumes only 24mW at the camera end of the cable, minimising heat generation. The SerDes IC is just 1.4mm x 1.5mm (bare die) or 5mm x 5mm (UBGA package) in size and can easily be incorporated into a HD/4K endoscope design. Additionally, these optical cables provide the necessary EMC/EMI shielding from the patient as per IEC 60601 requirements.

“There is a significant need for higher resolution and image quality for gastrointestinal (GI) and airway management endoscopes, which usually use 1080p to 4K2K image sensors running at 60 frames per second. This requires high-speed data transfer of up to 16 Gbps over the length of the endoscope that can be up to 5 metres,” said Tehzeeb Gunja, director of medical marketing at OMNIVISION. “We are pleased to partner with Silicon Line to enable high bandwidth video to be transported over several metres with thin and flexible optical fibre cables that have low system power consumption and are cost-comparative versus copper cables.”

According to Ian Jackson, director of sales and marketing, Silicon Line, “Our proven and reliable optical link solution decreases time to market for our customer base for reusable endoscopes. The technology also supports dual camera operation over the same single fibre. Our expertise in the high-volume consumer market means the bill of materials cost is low so the high-volume reusable endoscope market is a good match for this technology.”

The cables will be available in mid-2022. Please visit OMNIVISION for a demonstration during MD&M West, April 12-14, booth 1275.

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