Injection of secondary images into microscope viewing fields
OwnerCharles Luley, III, Michael Charles Luleyinventors
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Abstract
Systems and methods for injecting secondary images into viewing fields of surgical microscopes are disclosed. Some exemplary embodiments may provide secondary image injection in a picture-in-picture arrangement, thereby allowing a surgeon to simultaneously view the one or more secondary images and the surgical field through the oculars of the surgical microscope. Some exemplary embodiments may allow injection of secondary images including live video, such as live images from an endoscope, as well as previously obtained images, such as stored images from pre-operative studies.
Claims20
A method of operating a surgical microscope, the method comprising:
- configuring a surgical microscope so that a surgical field image is visible through an ocular of the surgical microscope via an optical image path of the surgical microscope;
- and
- overlaying an overlaid image received as an electronic image signal on the surgical field image visible through the ocular of the surgical microscope via the optical image path;
- wherein the surgical field image and the overlaid image are simultaneously visible through the ocular of the surgical microscope.
A method of operating a surgical microscope, the method comprising:
- forming an overlay image signal, the overlay image signal including a first injected image and a background image in a picture-in-picture arrangement;
- and
- delivering the overlay image signal to an image injection unit of a surgical microscope, the image injection unit being operative to display the overlay image signal on a surgical field image visible via an optical image path of the surgical microscope.
A surgical microscope image injection system comprising:
- means for selecting a first injected image from a plurality of image signals associated with a surgical procedure;
- means for forming an overlay image signal, the overlay image signal including the first one injected image and a background image;
- and
- means for displaying the overlay image signal in a pair of oculars of a surgical microscope so that the first injected image is displayed in a picture-in-picture arrangement with respect to an optical path image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.