Endoscope lighting system

Abstract

The endoscope illumination system comprises a reuse part and a disposable part which are connected with each other, the reuse part comprises at least one laser light source, a coupling device and a high-temperature-resistant light guide device, and the disposable part comprises at least one plastic optical fiber, an operation part and a light diffusion device; light emitted by the laser light source is coupled by the coupling device and enters the high-temperature-resistant light guide device; the high-temperature-resistant light guide device is connected with the plastic optical fiber, so that light is conducted to the plastic optical fiber from the high-temperature-resistant light guide device, and the biological tissue is illuminated through the light diffusion device. The endoscope illumination system is low in cost, stable, reliable, suitable for disposable endoscopes, good in imaging effect and capable of achieving various illumination schemes such as white light illumination and multispectral illumination, and the illumination effect is consistent with that of repeated endoscopes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of endoscopy technology, specifically an endoscopy illumination system. Background Technology

[0002] Due to issues such as repeated infections and high costs, disposable endoscope solutions have begun to emerge in the field of endoscopy. Currently, most disposable endoscopes use LEDs at the front end of the insertion section to illuminate the tissue. However, LEDs themselves generate heat and cannot achieve high-brightness illumination. Furthermore, due to limited space at the front end of the insertion section, multiple LEDs cannot be placed. Therefore, disposable endoscopes cannot achieve the multispectral illumination of reusable endoscopes, resulting in inferior imaging performance.

[0003] To reduce costs, disposable endoscopes cannot use the same fiber optic bundle approach as reusable endoscopes, which involves bundling hundreds or thousands of thin, flexible fiber filaments together to guide light. Plastic optical fibers have a price advantage over silica and glass fibers, significantly reducing costs. While larger fiber cores can be chosen to improve the light-gathering ability of plastic fibers, this results in high rigidity and a large bending radius, severely impacting the endoscope's flexibility. Conversely, choosing smaller fiber cores for improved flexibility not only compromises heat resistance but also weakens light-gathering capabilities, hindering high-brightness illumination. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, the present invention provides an endoscope illumination system, comprising a reusable part and a disposable part connected to each other. The reusable part includes at least one laser light source, a coupling device, and a high-temperature resistant light guide device. The disposable part includes at least one plastic optical fiber, an operating part, and a light diffusion device.

[0005] The light emitted from the laser source is coupled into the high-temperature resistant light guide device through the coupling device.

[0006] A high-temperature resistant light guide device is connected to a plastic optical fiber to transmit light from the high-temperature resistant light guide device to the plastic optical fiber, and then illuminate biological tissue through a light diffusion device.

[0007] In some embodiments, the laser source is selected from at least one of a violet laser, a blue laser, a green laser, an orange laser, and a red laser.

[0008] In some implementations, a phosphor converter is placed in front of the laser light source.

[0009] In some embodiments, the fluorescent converter is a phosphor or a fluorescent ceramic.

[0010] In some implementations, a light conversion device is placed in front of the laser source to change the type of light distribution.

[0011] In some embodiments, the high-temperature resistant light guide device is selected from at least one of quartz fiber core, glass fiber core, and glass rod.

[0012] In some embodiments, the plastic optical fiber enters from the proximal end of the operating section and extends from the distal end of the operating section, and the plastic optical fiber and the high-temperature resistant light guide device are connected outside the operating section.

[0013] In some implementations, the core size of the plastic optical fiber is 100μm-1mm.

[0014] In some implementations, the number of plastic optical fibers is 2-10.

[0015] In some embodiments, the distal end of the disposable unit includes an imaging component, and plastic optical fibers are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the imaging component.

[0016] The endoscope illumination system provided by this invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. By using a laser light source as the illumination source, its power density can reach about a thousand times that of xenon lamps or LEDs, thereby achieving high-brightness illumination of small-core optical fibers, and also enabling white light illumination, multispectral illumination and other solutions.

[0018] 2. By using high-temperature resistant light guide devices to interface with plastic optical fibers, optical loss is significantly reduced, and the heat generated is almost negligible. This avoids the damage to the optical fiber caused by the low coupling efficiency of small-core optical fibers due to excessive heat generation, thus ensuring the reliability of plastic optical fibers.

[0019] 3. The operating unit and the plastic optical fiber are designed as a single-use unit, eliminating the need for cleaning and disinfection of the operating unit, reducing the cost of using the endoscope system, and avoiding reinfection;

[0020] 4. Multiple plastic optical fibers are used to provide illumination, so as to match the illumination field with the imaging field at close range, thus ensuring consistent image brightness;

[0021] 5. By employing light diffusion elements, the illumination range of the endoscope illumination system is expanded, further improving the matching degree between the illumination field and the imaging field. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an endoscope illumination system provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a white light illumination endoscope illumination system provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another white light illumination endoscope illumination system provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multispectral illumination endoscope illumination system provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another multispectral illumination endoscopic illumination system provided in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an endoscope illumination system with a single plastic optical fiber, provided in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an endoscope illumination system with multiple plastic optical fibers provided in Embodiment Six of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages disclosed in the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The embodiments in this application are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that the term "an embodiment" or "embodiment" in the specification of the embodiments of this application refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that can be included in at least one implementation of this application. It should be understood that in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. It should be understood that when a device or component is referred to as "on," "adjacent to," or "connected to" other devices or components, it may be directly on, adjacent to, or connected to other devices or components, or there may be intervening devices or components. Conversely, when a device or component is referred to as "directly on," "directly adjacent to," or "directly connected to" other devices or components, there are no intervening devices or components.

[0032] In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0033] In the description of this application, "proximal end" means the end closer to the operator and "distal end" means the end farther away from the operator.

[0034] The present invention provides an endoscope illumination system, comprising a reusable part and a disposable part connected to each other, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the reusable section includes at least one laser source 1, a coupling device 2, and a high-temperature resistant light guide device 3, while the disposable section includes at least one plastic optical fiber 4, an operating section (not shown), and a light diffusion device 5. Light emitted from the laser source 1 is coupled through the coupling device 2 into the high-temperature resistant light guide device 3. The high-temperature resistant light guide device 3 is connected to the plastic optical fiber 4, and the light is conducted from the high-temperature resistant light guide device 3 to the plastic optical fiber 4, and finally illuminates the biological tissue 7 through the light diffusion device 5.

[0035] This invention uses a laser light source with high optical power density, which can effectively improve the brightness of plastic optical fibers with weak light collection ability. This allows plastic optical fibers with smaller cores to be used in endoscopes, increasing the flexibility of endoscopes, expanding the range of selectable plastic optical fiber models, and reducing the cost of disposable parts.

[0036] In some embodiments, the present invention can be applied to plastic optical fibers in the size range of 100μm-1mm.

[0037] This invention does not specifically limit the coupling device, such as a lens, a spectral beam combiner, etc. In principle, it is sufficient to achieve optical coupling, which can improve the efficiency of light entering the high-temperature resistant light guide device.

[0038] In some implementations, the high-temperature resistant light guide device can be a quartz or glass-core optical fiber, or even a glass rod. The light emitted from the laser source first passes through the high-temperature resistant light guide device before entering the plastic optical fiber, which greatly reduces heat generation and protects the plastic optical fiber from damage by high heat.

[0039] In some embodiments, the plastic optical fiber enters from the proximal end of the operating section and extends from the distal end, with the plastic optical fiber and the high-temperature resistant light guide device connected externally to the operating section. After use, the connection between the plastic optical fiber and the high-temperature resistant light guide device can be easily disconnected, and the plastic optical fiber and the operating section can be discarded together, eliminating the need for disinfection and sterilization of the operating section, making it simpler and easier to use, and saving on the operating cost of the endoscope system.

[0040] This invention does not specifically limit the light diffusion device; for example, it can use a light-distributing lens, a light-diffusing plate, a microstructure, etc., as long as it can achieve light diffusion. By using a light diffusion device, the illumination angle of the plastic optical fiber can be expanded, thereby illuminating the imaging area, achieving a match between the imaging field of view and the illumination field of view, and improving the imaging effect. Furthermore, the light diffusion device can configure the light output from the plastic optical fiber into a Lambertian distribution or other types of distribution as needed to ensure the uniformity of illumination light within the imaging field of view.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] Example 1 provides a white light illumination system for endoscopes, such as... Figure 2 As shown, it includes a reusable part and a disposable part that are interconnected. The reusable part includes a laser source, a coupling device 2, and a high-temperature resistant light guide device 3. The disposable part includes a plastic optical fiber 4, an operation part (not shown), and a light diffusion device 5.

[0043] The laser source consists of three lasers of different colors: a blue laser 11, a green laser 12, and a red laser 13. The light emitted by the three lasers is transmitted or reflected by a dichroic mirror 14, mixed to obtain white light, and then incident on the coupling device 2. It is then coupled into the high-temperature resistant light guide device 3, and then into the plastic optical fiber 4. Finally, it illuminates the biological tissue through the light diffusion device 5.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] Example 2 provides another white light illumination system for endoscopes, such as... Figure 3As shown, the difference from Embodiment 1 is that the laser source is a blue laser 11, and a phosphor converter 15 is placed in front of the blue laser 11. The phosphor converter 15 can be phosphor or phosphor ceramic. By using the blue laser 11 to excite the phosphor converter 15, the illumination spectrum of the laser is broadened, thereby achieving high colorimetric illumination of the endoscope.

[0046] Example 3

[0047] Example 3 provides a multispectral illumination endoscopic illumination system, such as Figure 4 As shown, the difference between this and Embodiment 1 is that the laser source includes a violet laser 16, a blue laser 11, and the blue laser 11 excites a phosphor converter 15 to obtain yellow-green light, an orange laser 177, and a red laser 13. The light emitted by the multiple lasers is transmitted or reflected by a dichroic mirror 14 to obtain multispectral light. A spectral beam combiner is used as a coupling device 2 to couple the light into a high-temperature resistant light guide device 3.

[0048] Example 4

[0049] Example 4 provides another multispectral illumination endoscopic illumination system, such as Figure 5 As shown, the difference from Embodiment 3 is that a light conversion device 18 is provided in front of the violet laser 16, blue laser 11, orange laser 17, and red laser 13 to change the Gaussian distribution of the laser to a Lambertian distribution. The light conversion device 18 can be a microstructure or a light distribution lens. Since the yellow-green light obtained by the blue laser 11 exciting the phosphor 15 has a Lambertian distribution, while the light emitted by the violet, blue, orange, and red lasers has a Gaussian distribution, the energy of the yellow-green light at different positions is inconsistent with that of the violet, blue, orange, and red light, which will lead to different lighting colors in different lighting areas. By using the light conversion device 18 to change the Gaussian distribution of the laser to a Lambertian distribution, the consistency of the lighting color in the lighting area can be achieved.

[0050] Example 5

[0051] Example 5 provides an endoscope illumination system with a single plastic optical fiber, such as Figure 6 As shown, at the far end of the disposable part 8, a plastic optical fiber 4 is disposed below the imaging component 6. Therefore, the illumination field 91 (solid line) formed by the plastic optical fiber 4 is located below the imaging field 92 (dashed line). The illumination field 91 and the imaging field 92 are not distributed in a consistent manner, which in turn leads to inconsistent brightness of the entire image.

[0052] Example 6

[0053] Example 6 provides an endoscope illumination system with multiple plastic optical fibers, such as Figure 7As shown, two plastic optical fibers 4 are respectively positioned above and below the imaging component 6 to form a consistent illumination field 91 and imaging field 92, resulting in consistent brightness across the entire image.

[0054] To achieve better image quality, 2-10 plastic optical fibers can be used, evenly distributed around the imaging component. The more plastic optical fibers used, the better the illumination effect, but the radial dimension of the disposable component will also increase accordingly.

[0055] It should be noted that the order of the embodiments described above is merely for descriptive purposes and does not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments. Furthermore, specific embodiments have been described above. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps described in the claims can be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and still achieve the desired result. Additionally, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0056] The same or similar parts between the various embodiments in this specification can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An endoscope illumination system characterized by, The device comprises a reusable part and a disposable part connected to each other, the reusable part comprises at least one laser light source, a coupling device and a high-temperature-resistant light guide device, the disposable part comprises at least one plastic optical fiber, an operation part and a light diffusion device; The light emitted by the laser light source is coupled into the high-temperature-resistant light guide device through the coupling device; The high-temperature-resistant light guide device and the plastic optical fiber are connected to conduct light from the high-temperature-resistant light guide device to the plastic optical fiber, and illuminate biological tissue through the light diffusion device.

2. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 1, wherein, The laser light source is selected from at least one of violet laser, blue laser, green laser, orange laser and red laser.

3. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 2, wherein, A fluorescent converter is arranged in front of the laser light source.

4. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 3, wherein, The fluorescent converter is a fluorescent powder or a fluorescent ceramic.

5. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 2, wherein, A light conversion device is arranged in front of the laser light source to change the distribution type of light.

6. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 1, wherein, The high-temperature-resistant light guide device is selected from at least one of quartz core optical fiber, glass core optical fiber and glass rod.

7. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 1, wherein, The plastic optical fiber enters from the proximal end of the operation part and extends from the distal end of the operation part, and the plastic optical fiber and the high-temperature-resistant light guide device are connected outside the operation part.

8. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 1, wherein, The core size of the plastic optical fiber is 100 μm-1 mm.

9. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 1, wherein, The number of plastic optical fibers is 2-10.

10. The endoscopic illumination system of claim 9, wherein, The distal end of the disposable part comprises an imaging component, and the plastic optical fibers are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the imaging component.

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