Fiber Optic Scanner Using Electromagnetic Actuation With Different Ferromagnetic Materials

A fiber optic scanner capable of scanning medical imaging actuated by an external magnetic field is designed and characterized using different magnetized and non magnetized ferromagnetic materials. Cobalt, Iron, Nickel, and Samarium Cobalt powders were used before and after magnetization to perform the actuation. Plastic optical fiber and a silica optical fiber are coated with 70 % enamel paint with 30 % different ferromagnetic materials mixed using brush. Due the low Young's Modulus, the plastic optical fiber could not actuate like silica optical fiber. Therefore, the silica fiber was used to conduct the experiments. The static and dynamic measurements were preformed for the different materials before magnetization and after magnetization for different lengths 2.2cm, 3.2cm, 4.2cm, 5.2cm, 6.2cm and 7.2cm to compare their best performance. The static displacements, dynamic displacements and resonant frequencies of the scanner were measured. It is proven in this research that the length of 5.2cm and the length of 7.2cm using magnetized cobalt powder have the highest actuation statically and dynamically in terms of actuation and in terms of power consumption. The fiber optic scanner actuates 1.345 mm statistically and 1.098 mm dynamically using magnetized cobalt powder.