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US 10,473,911 B2Granted
Simultaneous visible and fluorescence endoscopic imaging
AssigneeVerily Life Sciences LLC
InventorsVidya Ganapati, Eden Rephaeli, Daniele Piponi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An endoscope apparatus includes a fiber optic cable with a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The endoscope apparatus also includes a light source optically coupled to the proximal end of the fiber optic cable to emit visible light and excitation light into the fiber optic cable for output from the distal end. The light source is configured to emit both the visible light and the excitation light simultaneously, and a wavelength of the excitation light is outside a wavelength spectrum of the visible light. An image sensor is configured to receive a reflection of the visible light as reflected visible light.
Claims18
An endoscope apparatus, comprising:
- a fiber optic cable with a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end;
- a light source optically coupled to the proximal end of the fiber optic cable to emit visible light and excitation light into the fiber optic cable for output from the distal end, wherein the light source is configured to emit both the visible light and the excitation light simultaneously, and wherein a wavelength of the excitation light is outside a wavelength spectrum of the visible light;
- an image sensor configured to receive a reflection of the visible light as reflected visible light and configured to receive fluorescence light generated in response to the excitation light emitted from the light source;
- and a controller coupled to the image sensor to receive combined image data from the image sensor, wherein the combined image data is representative of the reflected visible light and the fluorescence light, and wherein the controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the endoscope apparatus to perform operations including:
- separating the combined image data into visible image data and fluorescence image data;
- and separating the visible image data into at least first color image data corresponding to a first color photocharge and second color image data corresponding to a second color photocharge, wherein the fluorescence image data corresponds to fluorescence photocharge.
3 more elements
A method of medical imaging comprising:
- simultaneously emitting visible light and excitation light from a distal end of a fiber optic cable of an endoscope, wherein a wavelength of the excitation light is outside a wavelength spectrum of the visible light;
- receiving reflected visible light including the visible light with an image sensor;
- receiving fluorescence light, emitted from a plurality of dye molecules, with the image sensor, wherein the fluorescence light is emitted in response to the plurality of dye molecules absorbing the excitation light, and wherein the fluorescence light is received by the image sensor contemporaneously with the reflected visible light, and wherein the reflected visible light and the fluorescence light form combined image data in the image sensor;
- separating visible image data from the combined image data, wherein the visible image data includes first color image data corresponding to first color photocharge collected in the image sensor, second color image data corresponding to second color photocharge collected in the image sensor, and third color image data corresponding to third color photocharge collected in the image sensor;
- and separating fluorescence image data from the combined image data, wherein the fluorescence image data corresponds to fluorescence photocharge collected in the image sensor.
2 more elements
A system for medical imaging, comprising:
- a fiber optic cable with a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end;
- a light source optically coupled to the proximal end of the fiber optic cable to emit visible light and excitation light into the fiber optic cable for output from the distal end;
- an image sensor coupled to the fiber optic cable to receive reflected visible light and fluorescence light;
- and a controller coupled to the light source and the image sensor, wherein the controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the system to perform operations including:
- emitting both the visible light and the excitation light simultaneously from the light source, wherein a wavelength of the excitation light is outside a wavelength spectrum of the visible light;
- receiving combined image data from the image sensor;
- separating visible image data from the combined image data, wherein the visible image data includes first color image data corresponding to first color photocharge, and second color image data corresponding to second color photocharge;
- and separating fluorescence image data from the combined image data, wherein the fluorescence image data corresponds to fluorescence photocharge.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.