Operating microscope providing an image of an obscured object

A method for providing an image of an object obscured by a layer of a material which is substantially opaque to visible light, comprising the steps of:

• illuminating the object with visible light and with penetrating radiation to which the layer of material is substantially transparent;
• forming a visible image of the obscured object using visible light reflected from the obscured object and the layer of material;
• detecting penetrating radiation having been reflected from said object;
• using said detected penetrating radiation to form a converted image of said object;
• and
• combining said visible and converted images to provide an image comprising the converted image of the object overlaid with the visible image of the obscured object and the layer of material.

Apparatus for providing an image of an object obscured by a layer of material, comprising:

• means for illuminating the object with visible light and with penetrating radiation to which the material obscuring the object is substantially transparent;
• optical means for gathering both visible light and penetrating radiation reflected from the object and the layer of material;
• beamsplitter means for splitting the reflected visible light and penetrating radiation gathered by said optical means to produce a first split fraction and a second split fraction;
• filter means for passing only the penetrating radiation portion of said first split fraction;
• detector means for detecting a penetrating radiation image from the penetrating radiation portion of the first split fraction;
• display means, responsive to said detector means, for providing a converted image corresponding to said penetrating radiation image;
• and
• means for combining in real time said converted image provided by said display means with a visible image of the obscured object formed from said second split fraction split by said beamsplitter means.

A microscope for providing a real time image of an object obscured from direct view by a layer of blood, comprising:

• means for illuminating the object with radiation including visible light and penetrating radiation of at least about 620 nanometers wavelength;
• means for forming a visible image of the obscured object;
• means for detecting the penetrating radiation reflected from the object beneath the layer of blood and for producing a penetrating radiation image;
• means, responsive to said means for detecting, for generating a converting image of said object corresponding to said penetrating radiation image;
• and
• means for combining the visible and converted images for simultaneous, real time viewing of the object.

A method for imaging an object obscured by a layer of blood, comprising the steps of:

• illuminating the object with visible light and with penetrating radiation of wavelength greater than about 620 nanometers;
• forming a visible image of the obscured object using visible light reflected from the obscured object;
• detecting penetrating radiation having been reflected from said object;
• using said detected penetrating radiation to form a converted image of said object;
• and
• combining said visible and converted images to produce a converted image of the object overlaid on the visible image of the object and the layer of blood.

Apparatus for providing a visible image of an object obscured by a layer of a material substantially opaque to visible light superimposed upon a converted image of the underlying object, comprising:

• means for illuminating the object with visible light of wavelength in the range 380-620 nm and with penetrating radiation of wavelength less than 380 nm or more than 620 nm, wherein the material obscuring the object is substantially transparent to said penetrating radiation;
• optical means for gathering both reflected visible light and penetrating radiation;
• beamsplitter means for splitting the gathered visible light and penetrating radiation into first and second fractions;
• filter means for passing substantially only the penetrating radiation portion of the first fraction;
• detector means for forming an image responsive to the filtered reflected penetrating radiation;
• display means responsive to said detector means for providing a visible converted image corresponding to the detected reflected penetrating radiation;
• and
• means for combining the visible converted image provided by the display means with a visible image formed using the second fraction of the gathered visible light and penetrating radiation.

A method for imaging an operating field having solid tissue obscured by a layer of blood, comprising the steps of:

• illuminating the operating field with visible light and with radiation of a wavelength that is both penetrating to said layer of blood and reflectable by said tissue;
• forming a visible image of the operating field using visible light reflected therefrom;
• detecting radiation having been reflected from said solid tissue;
• using said detected penetrating radiation to form a false color image of said solid tissue;
• and
• forming a combined image by superimposing said false color and said visible images to produce an unobscured image of the solid tissue, overlaid on the visible image of the operating field.