GB2536869A

GB2536869A - Illumination device

Info

Publication number: GB2536869A
Application number: GB1502501.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roberts John; Heuberger Marcus
Original assignee: CADARN TECHNIK Ltd
Current assignee: CADARN TECHNIK Ltd
Priority date: 2015-02-13
Filing date: 2015-02-13
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Also published as: GB201502501D0

Abstract

An illumination apparatus 10 for the illumination of a cavity comprises a body 100 comprising a reception portion 101 for a chemiluminescent element 102 and a light emission portion 104. The illumination apparatus 10 further comprises at least one opaque surface arranged at the body 100 and facing towards the chemiluminescent element 102. The reception portion 101 may comprise a cavity in the body. The opaque surface may comprise a reflective surface. The light emission portion may comprise a light emitting opening at an end wall of the body, which may further comprise a lens. An endoscope, proctoscope, vaginal speculum and a torch are also claimed.

Description

Title: Illumination Device

Description

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a chemiluminescent illumination apparatus for the illumination of cavities. The chemiluminescent illumination apparatus may be implemented in an endoscope for examining cavities for life sciences applications.

Introduction and related art

Many instruments for the examination of cavities, or for endoscopic investigation, use at present conventional light sources for illuminating the area of interest inside the cavity or organ. The light sources comprise conventional light bulbs, halogen bulbs or more recently LED and LASER light sources. The light may be focussed to a spot in the area of interest by an optical lens. All of these light sources need electricity involving power supplies and electric cables to bring the electric power toward the light source. If the light source is arranged at the tip of the instrument, electric wires transporting electric charges and emitting magnetic and/or electric fields need to be introduced into the cavity. The electrical connection can cause fumes to ignite in environments where gaseous emissions are present. The electrical connection makes the handling of the device less comfortable for both the user and a patient. This is also relevant with disposable life sciences devices that require incineration after use. This is in particular an issue if batteries or electronic features are implemented.

Instead of using the electrical light source directly inside the cavity or the body of the patient, optical fibres have been proposed. In this case the electrical light source can be placed outside the cavity or the body of the patient and the light is transmitted through the fibre into the cavity or the body of the patient to be examined. in this case the electrical wires into the cavity or the body of the patient are replaced by the optical fibre providing only limited advantages. The instrument operated by a user has to be connected to the light source leaving the handling inflexible.

Moreover, all electric light sources, even if arranged outside the body, require a power supply, which is not always available, i.e. in emergency cases or in remote or field applications or applications where there is a risk of fumes ignition.

Chemiluminescent light sources are generally known and commercially available. The known chemiluminescent light sources can provide undirected cold light emission at different wavelength without any electrical power supply.

WO 03/075979 describes different life science instruments that use a chemiluminescent light source for different applications. The chemiluminescent light sources are attached to a life science device that is at least partially translucent to provide a broad illumination of the surrounding of the instrument in a specific wavelength, mainly for analytical purposes.

EP 0190014 and US 5179938 describe a vaginal speculum and for the endoscopic examination of the vagina of a woman using a chemiluminescent light source. The chemiluminescent light sources are attached to a translucent or light transmitting device to provide a broad 360° illumination of the vagina in specific wavelength range. They thereby also emitting light into the eyes of the user.

The known devices provide only limited light intensities and a wide field of illumination that is not useful for cavity investigation, surgery or other site specific life science application where higher light intensities at an area of interest is required.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of prior art.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention suggests an illumination apparatus for the illumination of a cavity. The illumination apparatus or illumination device comprises a body which comprises a reception portion for receiving a chemiluminescent element and a light emission portion. The illumination apparatus or illumination device further comprises at least one opaque surface or a surface that is impervious to light arranged at or in at least a portion of the body.

The illumination apparatus or illumination device can, by use of an opaque surface provide an undirected light emission of light emitted wherein a specific field is left out and not illuminated. This can reduce blinding while providing in the same time homogeneous illumination.

In one aspect, the opaque surface can be a reflective surface or a mirror facing towards the chemiluminescent element The illumination apparatus or illumination device can, by use of the reflective surface, provide an amplified directed and focussed light emission of light emitted without any specific direction from the chemiluminescent element.

No electrical or electronic connections or wires are required and no power supply or battery is needed. This is advantageous in remote, field or emergency applications where no or limited power supply is available or under wet, humid, dirt or underwater conditions where electric applications are not possible or require expensive and extensive sealing. They can also be used in environments where any electric or magnetic field has to be avoided. No electric short-cut can occur.

The reflective surface or mirror provides an amplified directed light emission that can be focussed on a spot with high light intensity.

The opaque surface provides a blind or shield for the light emitted from the chemiluminescent element. This can protect a user of the apparatus from being blinded or glared.

The opaque or reflective surface can either be used individually or together or they can have the combined function in one surface.

The illumination apparatus or illumination device can be inserted or integrally formed in an endoscope or any other instrument for life sciences, veterinary or technical applications and the present disclosure also relates to such an endoscope. The endoscope is free of any electrical connection or power supply and does not require an external light source. This makes the handling of the endoscope much easier as the endoscope can be moved freely. The endoscope is also independent from any power supply, which is in particular useful in emergency areas or in remote areas such as fields, where no power supply is available.

The endoscope can be manufactured at reduced costs, for example from polymeric material and may be designed, entirely or partially, as a disposable. This makes it easier to keep a sterile environment even under hygienically difficult conditions. The endoscope can be designed as a disposable for single use. This reduces the risk of cross-infections and cleaning and sterilisation of used instruments can be omitted.

The term "endoscope" as used herein includes any device for the examination of a body cavity and includes, within others, vagina specula, proctoscopes, rectoscopes, anoscopes, sigmoidoscopes or other types of endoscopes for life science or veterinary applications. The term "endoscope" also includes endoscopes for technical applications such as borescope or fibroscope.

The present invention, however, is not limited to endoscopes that enable the observation of a cavity. The illumination apparatus can be equally used without an observation system and can serve solely for illumination purposes such as a torch.

The reception portion may comprise or may be shaped in form of a cavity, pocket or recess in the body. The pocket may receive and take up the chemiluminescent element. The chemiluminescent element may have a shape corresponding to the pocket or cavity and to the reception portion. This allows maximising the volume of chemiluminescent material allowing a maximum light intensity and/or durability, while maintaining the amplified and/or directed light emission. Alternatively, a chemiluminescent element that is smaller than the cavity can be used. Commercially available chemiluminescent elements may be used.

It is also possible to integrate the chemiluminescent element into the illumination apparatus or into an instrument. This is in particular useful with a disposable illumination apparatus and/or a disposable instrument.

The opaque or reflective surface is arranged on at least a portion of the reception portion of the body. The opaque surface can be made from any material. The reflective surface may be made from a metal coating or from a reflective polymer coating to form a mirror having substantially the shape of the reception portion or of the cavity. The reflective coating or the mirror can be used to direct the light emitted from the chemiluminescent element towards the light emission portion or opening of the illumination apparatus.

The reflective surfaces may be a smooth surface or may have a plurality of facets to further amplify the light intensity or to focus/defocus the light beam.

The reception portion or cavity may have the shape of at least one of an angular, straight, conical, hyperbolical, parabolic or concave shape or a combination thereof to form the recess or pocket in which the chemiluminescent element is received. The shape of the reception portion or cavity may be optimised for reflecting, amplifying and directing the light emitted from the chemiluminescent element towards the light emission portion or opening of the illumination apparatus. The light can be focussed and the light intensity in a spot area of interest can be increased.

It is also possible to arrange the reflective surface at a different position in the body. In this case the shape of the cavity or pocket can be different from the shape of the reflective surface as the reflective surface defines the reflecting, amplifying and light directing properties of the illumination apparatus.

Optionally, a lens may be used for focussing and/or adjusting the spot or focal length of the illumination apparatus. A Fresnel lens can be used to minimize the dimensions of the lens.

Brief description of the figures

The invention may be better understood when reading the following detailed description of examples of the present disclosure that are given for illustrative purposes only and with respect to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a first example of an endoscopic apparatus that may be used with the present disclosure; Fig. 2a shows a proctoscope and Fig 2b shows a vaginal speculum that may be used with the present disclosure; Fig. 3 shows a first example of an illumination device; Figs. 4a and b show further examples of an illumination device; Fig. 5 shows yet a further example of an illumination device; Figs. 6 a and b show different shapes of opaque or reflective surfaces; and Figs. 7a to c show different cross sections of an illumination device.

Detailed description

Examples of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail. The examples are given for illustrative purposes only and it is not necessary to implement all features of the examples. A person skilled in the art will select and combine the features of the present example according to the required application.

Figures 1 and 2 show three examples of different types of endoscopes in which an illumination apparatus according to the present disclosure may be implemented. Fig. 1 shows an endoscope that can be used for examination of the inside of a human or animal body. These types of endoscopes may be used for the examination of inner organs. While these endoscopes are frequently used for medical and veterinary purposes, they can also be used for examining any hollow space or cavity for example in technical situations. The endoscope may be termed borescope or fibrescope in this respect.

The endoscope 1 of Figure 1 comprises a handle 41 with an optional eyepiece 51 and a rigid or flexible tube 61. The rigid or flexible tube 61 ends in a head unit 11. The head unit 11 comprises a light source and can optionally comprise one more lenses for observation. The endoscope 1 may correspond to a conventional endoscope with exception of the light source. While conventional endoscopes use a bulb or other electric light source placed inside the head unit 11. These conventional light sources generate a significant amount of heat, thereby potentially causing burns or other damages if they are brought to close to the body tissue. These light sources is there therefore termed hot light sources herein. Even LED lights, although they are sometimes referred to as cold light sources, warm up during operation mainly due to heat emitted from the required electronic circuits An optical fibre for transporting the light from an external light source to the head unit 11 may be used as an alternative. In this case the heat is emitted outside the body cavity heating the environment and the electrical wires into the cavity or the body of the patient are replaced by the optical fibre providing only limited advantages. The present disclosure suggests a chemiluminescent light source in an illumination device 10, 20, 30 arranged in or at the head unit 11. A chemiluminescent light source is a cold light source that does not heat up when light is emitted. The illumination device may comprise additional elements to form an illumination apparatus 10, 20, 30 that can be used as head unit 11. The rigid or flexible tube 61 does not require or comprise any electrical wires. The rigid or flexible tube 61 does also not require an optical fibre or any other optical path for transmitting the light to the head unit 11. Thus the diameter of the rigid or flexible tube 61 can be reduced thereby increasing the comfort for the patient and the field of applications as smaller openings can be used. Smaller openings of a patient body are less harmful, provide shorter healing times and reduce the risk of infections, which results in shorter stays in hospitals and reduced costs.

For technical applications smaller tubes, holes and cavities might be examined.

In addition, the endoscope 1 does not require any connection to an external device such as a light source or a power supply and can be moved freely and independently thereby increasing the operability and comfort for the user and causing less damage to the tissue of the patient.

Figure 2a shows a second example of an endoscope that can be used for examining body cavities such as for example, the vagina, anal cavity, rectum or sigmoid colon. The endoscope may be termed proctoscope, anoscope, sigmoidoscope or rectoscope 2 in this case. The term proctoscope will be used for this example of an endoscope in relation to the example shown in Figure 2a. The proctoscope 2 generally corresponds to a common proctoscope and usually comprises a substantially tubular head unit 12 with a diameter adapted to the insertion into the body opening of body cavity. An eyepiece 52 may be provided at one end of the substantially tubular head unit 12 and a handle 42 may be directly attached to the tubular head unit 12. One or more illumination devices, 10, 20, 30 may be arranged at the front end of the head unit 12. In this way the illumination device is closest to the place where the light is wanted and illumination is more efficient. Using a blind reduces blinding or glaring of a user while at the same time providing good illumination at the point of interest. The proctoscope 2 provides a source for amplified and/or directed light and does not require a power supply or any other connection to additional equipment. The proctoscope can be freely moved increasing the mobility and flexibility of the user.

Fig. 2b shows an implementation of the present disclosure in form of a vagina speculum 3.

The vagina speculum may correspond to a conventional vagina speculum with an upper dilator blade 13 and a lower dilator blade 23 forming the "head unit". The illumination device 10, 20, 30 may be arranged at one or at both of the upper 13 and lower 23 dilator blade.

The one or more illumination devices, 10, 20, 30 may be arranged at the front end of the upper dilator blade 13 and/or the lower dilator blade 23. In this way the illumination device is closest to the place where the light is wanted and illumination is more effective. Using a blind reduces blinding or glaring of a user while at the same time providing good illumination at the point of interest. The front end of the upper dilator blade 13 and/or the front end of the lower dilator blade 23 may be the tip of the upper or lower dilator blade, respectively, and the illumination devices 10, 20, 30 may be arranged as closes as possible to the tip of the dilator blade. However, it may sufficient of the illumination devices 10, 20, 30 are arranged in the first half or first third of the upper and/or lower dilator blade.

Using two illumination devices, one in the upper dilator blade 13 and a second one in the lower dilator blade 23 reduces shadows and improves the light quality. In addition, the illumination devices can be made smaller reducing the space required in the front end of the speculum.

Three examples of implementations of the present disclosure have been discussed above. A person skilled in the art will understand that the different disclosures can be equally applied to other endoscopes or to other applications where cavities or hollow spaces have to be illuminated or where a directed cold light is required without the application of any electricity, power sources, electric wires or the like. The endoscopes 1, 2, 3 can be designed as a disposable and can be made of inexpensive materials. The endoscopes 1, 2, 3 can be easily held sterile and can be stocked for extended periods of time. The above examples refer to endoscopes providing an optical path for the observation of the illuminated spot or area. The illumination devices may also be implemented in separate instruments that are used for illumination or that are combined with other instruments.

The endoscopes and instruments can be made from an opaque material. There is no need to use translucent materials as the light source is directed to a specific focal area or light spot.

Figures 3 to 5 show three different examples of chemiluminescent illumination devices 10, 20, 30 in some variations. Further variations are possible. One or more of these illumination devices 10, 20, 30 may form or may be combined to or implemented into an illumination apparatus.

Figure 3 shows a first example of a chemiluminescent light source or chemiluminescent illumination device 10. The illumination device 10 comprises a body or torch body 100. The body 100 may be made from a polymeric or metallic material or any other material useful in the specific application. The material of the body can be opaque. The body 100 can have a cylindrical shape as shown in Figure 3 or may have any other shape suitable for the specific application or implementation in an endoscope.

A cylindrical shape can be used for placing and fixedly hold the illumination device or apparatus 10 in a cylindrical holder of the instrument, in which it is to be used. For example, the vaginal speculum may have such a cylindrical holder arranged at the upper and/or at the lower dilator blade. The shape of the holder can also be given in existing instruments that at present use other light sources. The shape of the illumination apparatus 10 and of the body may then be adapted to fit into the existing holder. This allows an easy replacement of conventional light sources, such as LEDs or others, by the illumination apparatus.

The body 100 can also be integrated in or be integrally formed in a head unit 11, 12, 13, 23 of an endoscope 1, 2, 3 or another illumination apparatus.

The body 100 of the illumination apparatus has a light emitting end or light emission portion 104 and a reception portion 101 for a chemiluminescent element 102. The reception portion 101 may have an angular, straight, conical or substantially conical shape or may a have a parabolic shape or any combination thereof which is oriented toward the light emitting end 104. The volume 103 between the reception portion 101 and the outside wall of the body 100 can be solid or void.

The reception portion 101 is filled with the chemiluminescent element 102. The chemiluminescent element 102 may be a separate element that can be inserted into and removed from the reception portion 101. This allows a reuse of the body 100 after the chemiluminescent element has been activated and used and disposed. In this case the chemiluminescent element 102 may have a form that substantially corresponds to the shape of the reception portion 101 to use the maximum volume available. The chemiluminescent element 102 can, however, be smaller. A locking mechanism may be provided to maintain the chemiluminescent element 102 inside the reception portion 101.

The chemiluminescent element 102 may also be provided integrated in the body 100 and the chemiluminescent material may be directly filled into the reception portion 101.

The chemiluminescent element 102 may be made from any chemiluminescent material known in the art and may comprise two or more materials that are initially separated from each other as generally known in the art. For example, the chemiluminescent element 102 may comprise two or more containers where at least one of the containers is breakable in a way known in the art of chemiluminescence. The illumination device 10 is thus easily activateable without any electric or electronic components. The illumination device 10 can be activated even under difficult conditions, such as wet or underwater environments. The emission wavelength of the chemiluminescent element 102 can be chosen according to the application of the illumination device 10.

The reception portion 101 may comprise a reflective surface. A portion of the reception portion 101 or the entire reception portion 101 can be coated or otherwise covered with an opaque or reflective material. The reflective material can be at least one of a metal or a layered polymer with the reflective surface facing toward the chemiluminescent element 102. For example polymeric materials of a bright colour or which are substantially white provide good reflective properties but any other reflective material of coating can be used as well. The opaque surface can be of any material blocking the light emission in the direction where the opaque surface is mounted.

Coating the reception portion 101 with a reflective surface has some advantages: The reflections can be optimized by the angular, straight, conical or parabolic shape of reception portion 101 in order to amplify, direct and focus the emitted light towards the light emitting end 104. It is also possible to use any opaque material for the body 100. However, it is also possible to use a translucent material for the body 100 and to provide a mirror or reflective surface around the body 100 or at a different position of the body 100.

The light can be directed and/or focused by the opaque or reflective surface and can be emitted directly through the light emitting end 104 along arrow 106. The light emitting end 104 can be open or can comprise a transparent or translucent window. It is optionally possible to attach a lens 105 to the light emitting end 104. The lens can be used for focusing the amplified, directed emitted light. The lens may be selected to have the appropriate focal length. A person skilled in the art will also consider using filters and/or a Fresnel lens or any other type of optical element known in the art in any combination.

The lens 105 can be integrally formed in the body 100 or can be a separate cap that is fixedly or reversibly attached to the light emitting end 104 of the body 100. A reversibly attached lens 105 may serve as locking mechanism for a replaceable chemiluminescent element 102 as discussed above. The lens 105 may be for example molded in, slotted in or may be screwed. Attaching the lens in a way that enables a change of the position of the lens 105 with respect to the light emitting end or light emission portion 104 allows an easy and flexible adjustment of the focus.

Figures 4a and 4b show a variations 20 of the chemiluminescent illumination device 10 of Figure 3 and the same or similar terms are used to describe identical or similar elements.

Unless specified otherwise, elements or features described with respect to the illumination device 10 of Fig. 3 are also applicable to the illumination device 20 and 21 of Figs. 4a and 4b.

The chemiluminescent illumination device 20 of Figure 4a mainly differs from the above chemiluminescent illumination device 10 in that the reception portion 201 has substantially the shape of the body 200 and is separated by a body wall 203. In the illustrated example the body 200 has a cylindrical shape that is open or closed and translucent at one end, the light emitting end 204. The other end is closed and forms part of the body wall 203 forming the cavity or pocket for the chemiluminescent element 202. The opaque or reflective surface may be arranged inside the reception portion 201. The material of the body may be opaque.

Alternatively, the opaque surface or the reflective surface can be arranged outside or around the body 200 if the body is made from a translucent material. The body or receptions portion 201 may be partially or entirely covered with the opaque or reflective surface, in any case, however, with exception of the light emitting end. This example leaves a maximum volume for the chemiluminescent element 202 allowing a maximum light emission intensity and/or durability of the chemiluminescent element 202 and depending on the material selected for the chemiluminescent element 202. Furthermore, the chemiluminescent element 202 can have a simple cylindrical shape and commercially available chemiluminescent elements can be used with the body 200.

If the entire body 200 including the body wall 203 but except the light emitting end 204 is covered by the opaque or reflective surface, all light has to leave the body 200 through the light emitting end 204 substantially along the direction of arrow 206. A lens 205 may or may not be used as described with respect to the above example.

The chemiluminescent illumination device 21 of Figure 4b is similar to the illumination device 20 described with respect to Figure 4a. In this variation, however, the lateral body wall 213 of the reception portion 211 is translucent and light can be emitted through the lateral body wall 213 of the Illumination device. While the light emitting end 214 may be similar or identical to the light emitting end 204 described with respect to Fig 4a, the opposite end comprises an opaque or reflective end wall 219. The opaque or reflective end wall 219 may have the form of a cap and may be made from a different material, or and a additional opaque material can be added at the opaque or reflective end wall 219. The opaque end wall 219 prevents light emission in at least one direction and can, if oriented accordingly, reduce or prevent blinding of a user. However, light can be emitted in all other directions as indicated by arrows 216 and 217 providing a wide illumination that is homogeneously illuminated.

Fig. 5 shows a third example of a chemiluminescent illumination device 30. The chemiluminescent illumination device 30 is similar to the above chemiluminescent illumination devices and the same or similar terms are used to describe the identical or similar elements. Unless specified otherwise, elements or features described with respect to the illumination devices 10, 20 of Figures 3 and 4 are also applicable to the illumination device 30 of Fig. 5. The body 300 has hyperbolically or concavely shaped reception portion 301 which is preferably covered by the mirror or reflective surface to ensure a hyperbolic or concave reflection of the light emitted from the chemiluminescent element 302 which ensures good focussing of the light emitted from the illumination device 30. In this case the light is emitted through light emitting end 304 indicated by arrow 306 and through a translucent or transparent portion 308 of the chemiluminescent illumination device 30 as indicated by arrow 307.

The body 300 may have a cylindrical shape and may have a transparent or translucent light emission portion 304, 308 to allow light emission through at least a portion of the cylindrical wall along arrow 307. Alternatively, the body 300 may have an opening and the light may be emitted directly from the chemiluminescent element 302. Using the hyperbolically or concavely shaped reception portion 301 allows the specific illumination of larger areas or enables longer focal distances.

A lens 305 may or may not be used as described with respect to the above examples. It is also possible to attach two or more illumination devices 30 to each other for example with both light emitting ends 304 facing towards each other. The hyperbolically or concavely shaped reception portion 301 covered with the mirrored or reflective layer can be enlarged and the light intensity can be further increased.

Fig. 6 a and b show sections of examples of the opaque or reflective surface that may be used with any of the illumination devices 10, 20, 30 according to the present disclosure. Fig. 6b shows a smooth opaque or reflective surface 121 that may be used for well directed and/or amplifying and focussing of the light. It is also possible to use facetted opaque or reflective surfaces 111 as indicated in Figure 6a to increase or decrease the light intensity as necessary. The facets might be optimised so that they have the correct angle to amplify the beam.

The illumination devices 10, 20, 30 have been described with a cylindrical body. A substantially cylindrical body has advantages if the illumination device shall be inserted through small openings, which is the case in many endoscopic applications. It is, however, possible to provide the illumination devices 10, 20, 30 with different shapes. Some possible cross sections are illustrated in Fig. 7. For example a rectangular (Fig. 7a) or elliptical (Fig. 7b) cross section can be provided instead of the circular cross section of a cylindrical body. It is also possible to provide a concave cross section (Fig. 7c, in particular in combination with the illumination device of Fig 5. The cross sections may also change over the length of an illumination device.

The body of the illumination device 10, 20, 30 can be made of any suitable material. If a life science application is desired, a sterile polymeric material can be used. The shape and manufacturing of the illumination device is rather simple enabling low cost manufacturing of disposable illumination devices. The disposable illumination device may be reversibly mounted to an endoscope or proctoscope which is then reused, or the illumination device is integrally formed in disposable endoscopes or proctoscopes or vaginal specula or other disposable instruments.

It is, however, also possible to use reusable illumination devices into which new chemiluminescent elements 101, 201, 301 can be reversibly inserted. This can be advantageous if the device is more complex and/or designed for multiple uses with cleaning and sterilisation. It can be equally applied if the instrument is a non sterile instrument, such as a conventional torch. In life science applications, however, the reusable illumination devices would have to be cleaned and sterilised. The chemiluminescent illumination device is easily activateable without any electric or electronic components. The illumination device 10, 20, 30 can be activated even under difficult conditions, such as wet or underwater environments or even under inflammable or explosive environments as no spark or electrical discharge can occur. The emission wavelength of the chemiluminescent element can be chosen according to the application of the illumination device and a wide variety of chemiluminescent materials are known.

The chemiluminescent illumination devices 10, 20, 30 have been described with respect to their use in endoscopic or life science instruments. The application of the chemiluminescent illumination devices and apparatus 10, 20, 30 is, however, not limited to that. The chemiluminescent illumination devices and apparatus 10, 20, 30 may be, for example, implemented in a torch. The chemiluminescent torch according to the present disclosure provides an amplified directed and, if desired focussed or unfocused, light beam. As no electric power source is required, the torch can be stocked over extended periods in time and can be used under water, in dirt conditions or explosive environments without specific and expensive sealing.

The illumination apparatus or device 10, 20, 30 may be formed as torch and may comprise a handle or the like allowing an inexpensive manufacture of the torch. The illumination apparatus or device 10, 20, 30 may also be inserted into a torch housing. The torch housing may correspond to a conventional torch housing, from which all batteries, electrical light sources and electrical conducts have been removed.

A person of skill in the art will understand that different modification to the design, in particular to the material and shape of the body 100, 200, 300, to the material and shape of the reception portion 101, 201, 301 and the opaque or reflective surface on it is possible. It is also possible to use different chemiluminescent elements 102, 202, 302 that do not need to fit to the corresponding reception portions. For example, small chemiluminescent elements may be positioned inside the reception portion. It is also possible to use a plurality of illumination devices in any combination.

A person skilled in the art will further modify and adapt the above disclosure to specific needs and will select those features that he considers useful in a specific application.

Claims

Claims: 1. An illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) for the illumination of a cavity, the apparatus comprising: - a body (100, 200, 300) comprising a reception portion (101, 201, 301) for a chemiluminescent element (102, 202, 302) and a light emission portion (104, 204, 304, 308), and - at least one opaque surface arranged at at least a portion of the body (100, 200, 300) and facing towards the chemiluminescent element (102, 202, 302).
2. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of claim 1, wherein the reception portion (101, 201, 301) comprises a cavity in the body (100, 200, 300).
3. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21 30) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reception portion (101, 201, 301) has at least one of an angular, straight, conical, hyperbolical, parabolic or concave shape or a combination thereof.
4. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opaque surface comprises a reflective surface.
5. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of claim 4, wherein the reflective surface is arranged on at least a portion of the reception portion (101, 201, 301).
6. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of claim 4 or 5, wherein the reflective surface comprises at least one of a metal coating or a reflective polymer coating.
7. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light emission portion comprises a light emission opening (104, 204, 304) at an end wall of the body (100, 200, 300).
8. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light emission portion (104, 204, 304) comprises a lens (105, 205, 305).
9. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chemiluminescent element (102, 202, 302) is integrally formed in the illumination apparatus.
10. The illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is entirely made from polymeric materials.
11. An endoscope (1) comprising an illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of the preceding claims.
12. The endoscope (1) of claim 11, wherein the illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) is integrally formed in the endoscope (1).
13. The endoscope of claim 11 or 12, wherein the illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) is arranged at a front end of the endoscope (1).
14. A proctoscope (2) comprising an illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of claims 1 to 10.
15. The proctoscope (2) of claim 14, wherein the illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) is integrally formed in the proctoscope (2).
16. The proctoscope (2) of claim 14 or 15, wherein the illumination apparatus (10, 20, 30) is arranged at a front end of the proctoscope (2).
17. A vaginal speculum (3) comprising an illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of claims 1 to 10.
18. The vaginal speculum (3) of claim 17, wherein the illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) is integrally formed in the vaginal speculum.
19. The vaginal speculum (3) of claim 17 or 18, wherein the illumination apparatus ((10, 20, 21, 30) is arranged at a front end of the vaginal speculum (3).
20. A torch comprising an illumination apparatus (10, 20, 21, 30) of any one of claims 1 to 10.