Enhancing imaging by multicore fiber endoscopes

A method comprising:

• illuminating tissue by a specified plurality of distinct wavelengths,
• delivering image radiation received from illuminated tissue through each of a plurality of cores of a multicore imaging fiber,
• decoding, for each of the cores, detected radiation in the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths, and
• deriving from the decoded detected image radiation of each of the cores, image data corresponding to the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths.

An endoscope comprising:

• an illumination source comprising a spatial encoder, configured to deliver illumination at a specified plurality of spatially-encoding distinct wavelengths, with different wavelengths illuminating different locations on a tissue according to a specified spatio-spectral pattern,
• a detector comprising a spectrometer and a spatial decoder, configured to decode detected radiation in the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths according to the specified spatio-spectral pattern,
• a multicore imaging fiber comprising a plurality of cores and configured to deliver, through the cores to the detector, image radiation received from tissue illuminated by the illumination source, wherein each core is configured to deliver image radiation from a tissue region illuminated by the specified spatio-spectral pattern, and
• a processing unit configured to derive, from the spatio-spectrally decoded detected image radiation of each of the cores, image data corresponding to the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths from image radiation delivered by each core.

A method comprising:

• illuminating tissue by a specified plurality of distinct wavelengths at a specified spatio-spectral pattern,
• delivering image radiation received from illuminated tissue through each of a plurality of cores of a multicore imaging fiber,
• decoding, for each of the cores, detected radiation in the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths according to the specified spatio-spectral pattern, and
• deriving from the decoded detected image radiation of each of the cores, image data corresponding to the specified plurality of distinct wavelengths and according to the specified spatio-spectral pattern.

An endoscope comprising:

• an illumination source, configured to deliver illumination at a specified plurality of spatially distinct locations on a tissue,
• a detector,
• a multicore imaging fiber comprising a plurality of multimode cores and configured to deliver, through the cores to the detector, wave-front radiation received from tissue illuminated by the illumination source, and
• a processing unit configured to derive, from the delivered wave-front radiation, three dimensional (3D) image data.