Configurable platform
AssigneeStryker European Operations Limited
InventorsJohn Josef Paul Fengler, Robert Anthony Stead
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluorescence imaging system for imaging an object, the system includes a white light provider that emits white light, an excitation light provider that emits excitation light in a plurality of excitation wavebands for causing the object to emit fluorescent light, a component that directs the white light and excitation light to the object and collects reflected white light and emitted fluorescent light from the object, a filter that blocks light in the excitation wavebands and transmits at least a portion of the reflected white light and fluorescent light, and an image sensor assembly that receives the transmitted reflected white light and the fluorescent light.
Claims32
A fluorescence imaging system for imaging an object, comprising:
- a white light provider that emits white light;
- an excitation light provider that emits excitation light in a plurality of excitation wavebands for causing the object to emit fluorescent light, wherein the excitation light provider is distinct form the white light provider and can emit excitation light simultaneously with the white light provider emitting white light;
- a component that directs the white light and excitation light to the object and collects reflected white light and emitted fluorescent light from the object;
- a filter that blocks light in the excitation wavebands and transmits at least a portion of the reflected white light and fluorescent light;
- an image sensor assembly that receives the transmitted reflected white light and the fluorescent light;
- and
- an optical assembly located in an optical path between the object and the image sensor assembly, the optical assembly comprising:
- a first optics region that projects the transmitted reflected white light as a white light image onto an image plane of the image sensor assembly, and
- a second optics region for reducing an image size for the transmitted fluorescent light, spectrally separating the transmitted fluorescent light, and projecting the separated fluorescent light as fluorescence images onto different portions of an image sensor of the image sensor assembly.
A method for fluorescence imaging of an object, comprising:
- emitting white light by a white light emitter;
- emitting excitation light in a plurality of excitation wavebands from an excitation light provider that is distinct from the white light emitter for causing the object to emit fluorescent light;
- directing the white light and excitation light to the object;
- collecting reflected white light and emitted fluorescent light from the object;
- blocking light in the excitation wavebands and transmitting at least a portion of the reflected white light and fluorescent light;
- and
- directing the transmitted reflected white light and fluorescent light through an optical assembly located in an optical path between the object and an image sensor assembly, wherein:
- a first optics region of the optical assembly projects the transmitted reflected white light as a white light image onto an image plane of the image sensor assembly, and
- a second optics region reduces an image size for the fluorescent light, spectrally separates the fluorescent light, and projects the separated fluorescent light as fluorescence images onto different portions of an image sensor of the image sensor assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.