Filter for use with imaging endoscopes
View Patent ↗A fluorescence endoscopy video system includes a multi-mode light source that produces light for white light and fluorescence imaging modes. A filter is positioned at the distal end of an imaging endoscope so that the endoscope can produce fluorescence and white light images of a tissue sample.
1. A color and fluorescence endoscopy system, comprising:
a multi-mode light source that illuminates a tissue sample with a blue illumination light;
a camera that concurrently captures blue reflectance images and a fluorescence image of the tissue sample when the blue illumination light is on;
an image processor that generates a color image from the blue reflectance images and generates a fluorescence/reflectance image by overlaying the at least one fluorescence image and one or more of the blue reflectance images; and
a display that concurrently displays the color image and the fluorescence/reflectance image.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-mode light source illuminates the tissue sample with a red illumination light and the camera captures red reflectance images when the red illumination light is on.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-mode light source illuminates the tissue sample with a green illumination light and the camera captures green reflectance images when the green illumination light is on.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is located at an insertion end of an endoscope of the endoscopy system.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is attached to an external portion of an endoscope of the endoscopy system.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises at least one image sensor.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the blue reflectance images and the fluorescence image are captured using the at least one image sensor.
8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one image sensor comprises three CMOS image sensors.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one image sensor comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels is covered by an integrated filter.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the integrated filter comprises a red, green, and blue (RGB).
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-mode light source comprises a light emitting diode.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-mode light source comprises a diode laser.
14. A method of color and fluorescence endoscopy, comprising:
illuminating a tissue sample with a blue illumination light from a multi-mode light source;
concurrently capturing blue reflectance images and a fluorescence image of the tissue sample by a camera when the blue illumination light is on;
generating a color image from the blue reflectance images;
generating a fluorescence/reflectance image by overlaying the at least one fluorescence image and one or more of the blue reflectance images; and
concurrently displaying the color image and the fluorescence/reflectance image.
15. The method of claim 14 , comprising illuminating the tissue sample with a red illumination light from the multi-mode light source and capturing red reflectance images when the red illumination light is on.
16. The method of claim 14 , comprising illuminating the tissue sample with a green illumination light from the multi-mode light source and capturing green reflectance images when the green illumination light is on.