Integrated illumination and optical surface topology detection system and methods of use thereof

1. An integrated surgical system for optical topology detection, illumination, and tracking, comprising:

a surgical illumination system comprising one or more illumination light sources for illuminating a region of interest with illumination light;

an optical topology detection system comprising a structured light projection device for projecting optical topology detection light comprising structured light patterns onto the region of interest and one or more optical topology detection cameras for imaging optical topology detection light scattered or reflected from the region of interest;

an optical tracking system comprising a plurality of tracking cameras for detecting tracking light associated with one or more fiducial markers;

wherein at least a portion of the spectral content of the illumination light from said surgical illumination system is within an optical detection bandwidth of said optical topology detection system;

wherein at least a portion of the spectral content of the tracking light detected by said optical tracking system is within the optical detection bandwidth of said optical topology detection system; and

one or more processors configured to:

provide one or more control signals for repeatedly triggering interleaved operation of said optical topology detection system with said surgical illumination system; and

synchronize the operation of said optical topology detection system, said surgical illumination system and said optical tracking system, according to the one or more control signals, such that said optical topology detection system detects optical topology detection light in the absence of the illumination light and tracking light.

2. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said one or more processors are configured to control the operation of said optical tracking system.

3. The integrated system according to claim 2 wherein said one or more processors are configured to synchronously control the operation of said surgical illumination system and said optical tracking system.

4. The integrated system according to claim 3 wherein said one or more processors are configured to control said surgical illumination system such that said surgical illumination system is intermittently activated during a series of illumination time intervals, and to control said optical tracking system such that said optical tracking system is activated during a portion of each illumination time interval.

5. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said optical tracking system comprises one or more tracking light sources, and wherein said integrated surgical system further comprises:

a photodetector configured to detect the emission of tracking light from said one or more tracking light sources;

wherein said one or more processors are configured to control the operation of said optical topology detection system and said surgical illumination system such that said optical topology detection system detects optical topology detection light when said photodetector detects the absence of tracking light.

6. The integrated system according to claim 5 wherein said one or more processors are configured to control the operation of said optical topology detection system such that said optical topology detection system is activated to detect optical topology detection light after a prescribed time delay following detection of the absence of tracking light by said photodetector.

7. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said one or more processors are configured such that said surgical illumination system and said optical topology detection system are intermittently activated two or more times between successive activations of said optical tracking system.

8. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said structured light projection device is configured to project an ordered series of patterns for topology detection, and wherein two or more patterns are projected during the time between successive activations of said optical tracking system.

9. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said structured light projection device is configured to project an ordered series of patterns for topology detection, and wherein all of the patterns are projected during the time between successive activations of said optical tracking system.

10. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said structured light projection device is configured to project an ordered series of patterns for topology detection, and wherein one pattern is projected during the time between at least one pair of successive illumination cycles.

11. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said structured light projection device is configured to project an ordered series of patterns for topology detection, and wherein two or more patterns are projected during the time between at least one pair of successive illumination cycles.

12. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said structured light projection device is configured to project an ordered series of patterns for topology detection, and wherein all of the patterns are projected during the time between at least one pair of successive illumination cycles.

13. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said one or more processors are configured to control said surgical illumination system and said optical topology detection system such that the illumination light and the optical topology detection light are interleaved at a sufficiently high frequency that the illumination light is perceived as being continuous in time by an observer.

14. The integrated system according to claim 13 wherein the duration of the optical topology detection light is controlled relative to the duration of the illumination light in order to reduce visual disruptions perceived by the observer.

15. The integrated system according to claim 13 wherein the sequence of light patterns is selected to reduce visual disruptions perceived by the observer.

16. The integrated system according to claim 15 wherein the intensity of projected light patterns is controlled relative to the intensity of the illumination light in order to reduce visual disruptions perceived by the observer.

17. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of tracking cameras are oriented such that they are centered on an illumination field of said illumination light sources.

18. The integrated system according to claim 1 wherein said optical tracking system is rigidly mounted to said optical topology detection system such that a tracking volume associated with said optical tracking system is fixed relative to an optical topology detection field of said optical topology detection system.

19. The integrated system according to claim 18 wherein said optical topology detection system and said optical tracking system are supported by a rigid housing.

20. The integrated system according to claim 19 wherein said rigid housing is further adapted to rigidly support said surgical illumination system.

21. The integrated system according to claim 20 wherein said illumination light sources are a plurality of illumination light sources, and wherein said optical tracking system comprises a plurality of tracking light sources, and wherein said plurality of illumination light sources and said plurality of tracking light sources are spatially arranged as a plurality of composite lighting panels.

22. The integrated system according to claim 19 wherein said rigid housing is supported on an articulating arm for varying a position and/or angle of said rigid housing.

23. The integrated system according to claim 19 wherein said optical tracking system comprises a tracking system housing that is rigidly supported by said rigid housing, and wherein said optical tracking system is recessed or off-axis relative to said optical topology detection system to accommodate said tracking system housing.