Imaging system

Abstract

The utility model discloses an imaging system. The imaging system comprises a light source, an endoscope connected with the light source, a second dichroscope, a visible light camera and a near-infrared camera. The light source comprises an excitation light source, an illumination light source and a first dichroscope used for combining light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source. A light beam emitted by the light source is irradiated to a target object through the endoscope, so that the target object reflects visible light and is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence, and the endoscope is used for collecting the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the target object; the second dichroscope is arranged on the optical axis of the endoscope and is used for dividing the light from the endoscope into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence; and the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera are respectively used for imaging the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroscope. In this way, the light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source can irradiate the same position of the target object, and imaging of near-infrared fluorescence and visible light of the same scene is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of optical molecular imaging, and particularly relates to an imaging system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the leap of minimally invasive surgery into the era of precision medicine, "minimal trauma and quick recovery" is the biggest highlight in promoting new surgical methods. However, minimally invasive surgery also poses a greater challenge to surgeons' skills. Fluorescent laparoscopy technology is a new type of surgical assistance technology, also known as the "Beidou navigation" during surgery, enabling surgeons to have "clairvoyant eyes", helping doctors to more clearly and easily identify tissue structures such as blood vessels and bile ducts during surgery, thus avoiding collateral damage to blood vessels, etc., and making surgical operations safer and more precise. Fluorescent laparoscopy can serve as an "intraoperative navigation map", helping doctors to more clearly and easily identify the location of tumors during surgery. In laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor surgery, how to accurately locate early tumors and their resection margins; how to observe the blood supply of anastomotic sites, ensure anastomotic blood circulation, and reduce the occurrence of anastomotic leakage; how to accurately define the scope of lymph node dissection to ensure the thoroughness of intraoperative lymph node dissection.

[0003] To solve the above problems, doctors have begun to try to use ICG (indocyanine green) - labeled near - infrared (NIR) imaging fluorescent laparoscopy technology to accurately locate gastrointestinal tumors under laparoscopy, label sentinel lymph nodes, perform lymphatic drainage navigation, and evaluate the blood supply of intraoperative anastomotic sites, etc. The application of ICG imaging technology in medical research can be traced back to the 1950s. From its early use as a dye in cardiac surgery, ophthalmology, and neurosurgery, etc., to the application of its fluorescence characteristics in visual surgical operations such as sentinel lymph node tracing navigation, tissue blood supply evaluation, and lymph node tracing in the past ten years or so.

[0004] With the emergence of ICG - labeled near - infrared imaging laparoscopy systems in recent years, ICG has been gradually popularized in laparoscopic surgery. Its applications mainly include two aspects: intravenous injection for evaluating tissue blood supply; local injection around tumors for tumor localization and tumor lymph node navigation. Through fluorescence imaging, tiny lesions or lymph node metastases that cannot be seen under visible light can be presented in the doctor's field of vision, making the surgery safer and more precise.

[0005] However, current fluorescent laparoscopy also has some disadvantages:

[0006] 1. Limited imaging depth: Existing fluorescent laparoscopy devices are mainly based on visible light and the first near - infrared region, with limited imaging depth, and it may be difficult to observe deeper tissues and lesions.

[0007] 2. The fluorescent dye ICG used in combination does not have the ability to actively target tumors and metastatic lesions, resulting in the inability to accurately identify tiny cancerous foci and distant metastases during surgery.

[0008] The second near-infrared region fluorescence laparoscope is a new type of fluorescence imaging technology with a wavelength range of 1000nm - 1700nm, having advantages such as a deeper imaging depth, clearer images, and higher resolution. This makes the second near-infrared region fluorescence laparoscope more potential in detecting lesions hidden deep in tissues, identifying tissue structures, and accurately identifying lesions. Although the application prospect of the second near-infrared region fluorescence laparoscope is very broad, there is currently a lack of relevant equipment in the market, which also brings opportunities and challenges to the research and development in related fields. Summary of the Utility Model

[0009] The utility model provides an imaging system.

[0010] The imaging system according to the embodiment of the present application includes a light source, an endoscope, a second dichroic mirror, a visible light camera, and a near-infrared camera. The light source includes an excitation light source, an illumination light source, and a first dichroic mirror. The first dichroic mirror is used to combine the light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source. The endoscope is connected to the light source, and the light beam emitted by the light source is irradiated onto the target object through the endoscope so that the target object reflects visible light and is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence. The endoscope is used to collect the visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from the target object. The second dichroic mirror is arranged on the optical axis of the endoscope and is used to divide the light from the endoscope into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence. The visible light camera is used to image the visible light from the second dichroic mirror. The near-infrared camera is used to image the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroic mirror.

[0011] In this way, the light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source can be combined through the first dichroic mirror, so that the light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source can be irradiated at the same position of the target object, realizing the imaging of near-infrared fluorescence and visible light of the same scene. At the same time, the second dichroic mirror separates the near-infrared fluorescence and visible light, reducing the influence of visible light on the near-infrared fluorescence imaging, reducing the parallax problem existing in dual-channel imaging, and realizing the same-viewpoint imaging of the same scene.

[0012] In some embodiments, the light source includes a focusing lens. The focusing lens is located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror and is used to direct the light beam from the first dichroic mirror to the optical fiber, and then through the optical fiber to the endoscope.

[0013] In some embodiments, the endoscope includes an objective lens group and a relay lens group. The objective lens group is used to collect the visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from the target object and form an intermediate image. The relay lens group is used to image the intermediate image at one end of the endoscope close to the second dichroic mirror.

[0014] In this way, the endoscope can image the target object at the distal end at the proximal end, enabling medical staff to observe the actual situation in the surgical area through the endoscope, facilitating the medical staff to clarify the surgical environment and achieving the purpose of stabilizing the surgery.

[0015] In some embodiments, the imaging system includes a coupling lens group for transmitting light from the endoscope to a visible light camera and a near-infrared camera.

[0016] In this way, the coupling lens group can effectively focus the light from the endoscope onto the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera, adjust the magnification, improve the transmission efficiency and stability of the light, and thus improve the quality and energy density of the light.

[0017] In some embodiments, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera image sequentially.

[0018] In this way, the sequential imaging of the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera can further avoid the influence of laser or LED light on visible light imaging, so as to achieve visible light and near-infrared fluorescence co-perspective imaging of the same scene.

[0019] In some embodiments, the wavelength of the visible light is 400nm - 700nm, and the wavelength of the near-infrared fluorescence is 800nm - 3000nm; and / or, the second dichroic mirror is a long-pass dichroic mirror and / or a short-pass dichroic mirror, and the cut-off wavelength of the second dichroic mirror is 700nm - 1000nm.

[0020] In this way, the dichroic mirror can separate the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence of the light of the same scene according to the wavelength difference, ensuring that co-perspective imaging of the same scene can still be achieved when the imaging system rotates at different angles.

[0021] In some embodiments, the imaging system includes a first filter and a second filter. The first filter is disposed between the near-infrared camera and the second dichroic mirror and is used to filter the near-infrared fluorescence entering the near-infrared camera; the second filter is disposed between the visible light camera and the second dichroic mirror and is used to filter the visible light entering the visible light camera.

[0022] In this way, the first filter and the second filter can filter the light, allow the light of a specific wavelength to pass through, and cut off the unnecessary light, thereby ensuring the effective separation of the light of different bands and improving the imaging quality of the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first filter is a long-pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800nm; or, the first filter is a band-pass filter, and the central wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800nm; and / or, the second filter is a short-pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the second filter is 700nm - 750nm.

[0024] In this way, the first filter can filter out visible light, allowing only near-infrared fluorescence to enter the near-infrared camera, achieving effective separation of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, thereby ensuring the imaging quality of the near-infrared camera. The second filter can filter out near-infrared fluorescence, allowing only visible light to enter the visible light camera, achieving effective separation of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, thereby ensuring the imaging quality of the visible light camera.

[0025] In some embodiments, the illumination light source emits illumination light in a continuous manner, the visible light camera images in a pulsed manner, the excitation light source emits laser light during the pulse gaps, and the near-infrared camera images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source; or, the illumination light source emits illumination light in a pulsed manner, the visible light camera images with the same pulse timing as the illumination light source, the excitation light source emits laser light during the pulse gaps, and the near-infrared camera images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source; or, the illumination light source and the excitation light source emit illumination continuously, and the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame rate.

[0026] In this way, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera can image the same scene from the same perspective. Additionally, pulsed imaging can reduce the thermal impact on the target object while achieving high-intensity illumination.

[0027] In some embodiments, the imaging system includes a controller that is respectively connected to the light source, the visible light camera, and the near-infrared camera to control the sequential operation of the light source, the visible light camera, and the near-infrared camera. The controller is used to fuse the images acquired by the visible light camera and the images acquired by the near-infrared camera.

[0028] In this way, the controller can achieve separate imaging of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence as well as dual-channel fusion imaging of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, providing precise navigation images for the surgery.

[0029] The additional aspects and advantages of the present utility model will be partially given in the following description, partially become apparent from the following description, or be understood through the practice of the present utility model. Description of the Drawings

[0030] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present utility model will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, where:

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the imaging system according to the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the light source according to the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the control timing of the controller according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0035] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the control timing of the controller according to another embodiment of the present utility model;

[0036] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the control timing of the controller according to still another embodiment of the present utility model.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals: 100, imaging system; 10, light source; 11, excitation light source; 12, illumination light source; 13, first dichroic mirror; 14, focusing lens; 20, endoscope; 21, objective lens group; 22, relay lens group; 23, objective lens; 24, relay lens; 30, second dichroic mirror; 40, near-infrared camera; 50, visible light camera; 60, optical fiber; 70, coupling lens group; 80, first filter; 81, second filter; 90, controller. Specific embodiments

[0038] The following details the embodiments of the present utility model. The examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present utility model and should not be construed as a limitation of the present utility model.

[0039] In the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present utility model. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present utility model, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0040] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installation", "connection", and "coupling" shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection capable of mutual communication; it may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication between two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through other features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over", and "on" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "below", "under", and "beneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0042] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present utility model. To simplify the disclosure of the present utility model, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present utility model. In addition, the present utility model may repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present utility model provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2, the imaging system 100 according to the embodiments of the present application includes a light source 10, an endoscope 20, a second dichroic mirror 30, a near-infrared camera 40, and a visible-light camera 50. The light source 10 includes an excitation light source 11, an illumination light source 12, and a first dichroic mirror 13. The first dichroic mirror 13 is used to combine the light beams emitted by the excitation light source 11 and the illumination light source 12. The endoscope 20 is connected to the light source 10. The light beam emitted by the light source 10 is irradiated onto the target object through the endoscope 20 so that the target object reflects visible light and emits near-infrared fluorescence when excited. The endoscope 20 is used to collect the visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from the target object. The second dichroic mirror 30 is arranged on the optical axis of the endoscope 20 and is used to split the light from the endoscope 20 into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence. The visible-light camera 50 is used to image the visible light from the second dichroic mirror 30. The near-infrared camera 40 is used to image the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroic mirror 30.

[0044] In this way, the first dichroic mirror 13 can combine the light beams emitted by the excitation light source 11 and the illumination light source 12, so that the light beams emitted by the excitation light source 11 and the illumination light source 12 can be irradiated at the same position of the target object, realizing the imaging of near-infrared fluorescence and visible light in the same scene. At the same time, the second dichroic mirror 30 separates the near-infrared fluorescence and visible light, reduces the influence of visible light on the imaging of near-infrared fluorescence, reduces the parallax problem existing in dual-channel imaging, and realizes the same-view imaging of the same scene.

[0045] Specifically, the excitation light source 11 can be a laser or an LED light, and the illumination light source 12 can be an LED light or other cold light sources 10 that can generate white light. The visible light provided by the illumination light source 12 is transmitted into the visible-light camera 50 to realize a real imaging scene. The near-infrared light provided by the excitation light source 11 irradiates the fluorescent probe at the patient's part to make it emit near-infrared fluorescence. The near-infrared fluorescence is received by the near-infrared camera 40 and the received fluorescence is converted into an image signal, thereby realizing near-infrared fluorescence imaging. The near-infrared light is an electromagnetic wave between visible light and mid-infrared light.

[0046] The first dichroic mirror 13 can be a long-pass dichroic mirror or a short-pass dichroic mirror, depending on the positions of the visible-light illumination light source and the near-infrared light source. The cut-off wavelength of the first dichroic mirror 13 is 700 nm - 900 nm. For example, the first dichroic mirror 13 is a long-pass dichroic mirror with a cut-off wavelength of 800 nm, that is, the first dichroic mirror 13 can transmit light beams with wavelengths greater than 800 nm and reflect light beams with wavelengths less than 800 nm.

[0047] The endoscope 20 mainly enters aseptic tissues and organs of the human body or enters aseptic cavities of the human body through surgical incisions, such as laparoscopes, thoracoscopes, arthroscopes, etc. The advantages of the endoscope 20 are clear imaging, high resolution, multiple working channels can be configured, and multiple fields of view can be selected. The endoscope 20 can be a rigid endoscope 20 or a flexible endoscope 20. The focal length of the endoscope 20 needs to be designed according to the field of view size or field angle required by the actual observation scenario. The endoscope 20 and the light source 10 can be connected through an optical fiber 60. The optical fiber 60 is a fiber made of glass, and the length of the optical fiber 60 can be set according to actual needs, such as 2m, 2.5m, 3m, etc.

[0048] The second dichroic mirror 30 is a passive device that does not require external energy and only needs input light. The second dichroic mirror 30 can separate specific spectra from the light rays from the endoscope 20 and change the optical path direction of some spectra, and can almost completely transmit light of a certain wavelength and almost completely reflect light of other wavelengths.

[0049] The optical axis of the near-infrared camera 40 can be perpendicular to the optical axis of the visible light camera 50. For ease of use, the reflection angle of the second dichroic mirror 30 can be set to 45°.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the light source 10 includes a focusing lens 14. The focusing lens 14 is located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror 13 and is used to direct the light beam from the first dichroic mirror 13 to the optical fiber 60, and then to the endoscope 20 through the optical fiber 60.

[0051] In this way, the focusing lens 14 can converge the light beams combined by the first dichroic mirror 13, make the light beam transmitted to the endoscope 20 more concentrated, increase the beam density, and thus improve the imaging quality of the imaging system 100.

[0052] Specifically, the focusing lens 14 is located on the optical axis of the first dichroic mirror 13. The focusing lens 14 can be a single lens element or a lens group formed by multiple lens elements.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the endoscope 20 includes an objective lens group 21 and a relay lens group 22. The objective lens group 21 is used to collect visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from the target object and form an intermediate image, and the relay lens group 22 is used to image the intermediate image at one end of the endoscope 20 close to the second dichroic mirror 30.

[0054] Thus, the endoscope 20 can image the target object at the distal end at the proximal end, enabling medical staff to observe the actual situation in the surgical area through the endoscope 20, facilitating the medical staff to clarify the surgical environment and achieving the purpose of stabilizing the surgery.

[0055] Specifically, the objective lens group 21 can be composed of multiple objective lenses 23, such as three, four, five, etc. The relay lens group 22 can be composed of multiple relay lenses 24, and the relay lens 24 can be composed of multiple lenses, including but not limited to rod lenses, plano-convex lenses, biconvex lenses, concave-convex lenses, etc. The number of relay lenses 24 can be an even number, such as two, four, six, etc.

[0056] In one embodiment, the number of relay lenses 24 is four. The four relay lenses 24 are distributed along the objective lens group 21 towards the second dichroic mirror 30. They are the first relay lens 24, the second relay lens 24, the third relay lens 24, and the fourth relay lens 24 in sequence. The objective lens group 21 collects visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from the target object and forms an intermediate image. The intermediate image is located between the objective lens group 21 and the first relay lens 24. The first relay lens 24 inverts and images the intermediate image between the first relay lens 24 and the second relay lens 24 to form a first image. The second relay lens 24 inverts and images the first image between the second relay lens 24 and the third relay lens 24 to form a second image. The third relay lens 24 inverts and images the second image between the third relay lens 24 and the fourth relay lens 24 to form a third image. The fourth relay lens 24 inverts and images the third image on the side of the fourth relay lens 24 away from the third relay lens 24 to form a fourth image.

[0057] The lenses of the objective lens group 21 and the relay lens group 22 can operate in the wavelength range of 400nm - 3000nm and are coated with an antireflection film with high transmittance in this wavelength range. In one embodiment, the lenses can operate in the wavelength range of 400nm - 1700nm and are coated with an antireflection film with high transmittance in this wavelength range. This enables the entire endoscope 20 to have high transmittance in the visible light and near-infrared fluorescence wavelength ranges.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 1 , in some embodiments, the imaging system 100 includes a coupling lens group 70 for transmitting the light from the endoscope 20 to the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40.

[0059] Thus, the coupling lens group 70 can effectively focus the light from the endoscope 20 onto the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40, adjust the magnification, improve the transmission efficiency and stability of the light, and thus improve the quality and energy density of the light.

[0060] Specifically, the coupling lens group 70 can be located between the second dichroic mirror 30 and the endoscope 20 to transmit the light from the endoscope 20 to the second dichroic mirror 30, and then to the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 by the second dichroic mirror 30. The coupling lens group 70 can also be located between the first filter 80 and the near-infrared camera 40 and between the second filter 81 and the visible light camera 50. The second dichroic mirror 30 transmits the light from the endoscope 20 to the coupling lens group 70, and then to the corresponding visible light camera 50 and near-infrared camera 40 by the coupling lens group 70.

[0061] In some embodiments, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image sequentially.

[0062] In this way, the sequential imaging of the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 can further avoid the influence of laser or LED light on visible light imaging, so as to realize the same-angle imaging of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence of the same scene.

[0063] Specifically, the sequential imaging of the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 can be that the near-infrared camera 40 images after the visible light camera 50 images, or the visible light camera 50 images after the near-infrared camera 40 images. In one embodiment, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 can image synchronously, that is, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image at the same preset frame rate, or the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image at the same pulse timing.

[0064] In some embodiments, the wavelength of visible light is 400nm - 700nm, and the wavelength of near-infrared fluorescence is 800nm - 3000nm; and / or, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a long-pass dichroic mirror and / or a short-pass dichroic mirror, and the cut-off wavelength of the second dichroic mirror 30 is 700nm - 1000nm.

[0065] In this way, the second dichroic mirror 30 can separate visible light and near-infrared fluorescence of the light of the same scene according to the wavelength difference, ensuring that the imaging system 100 can still realize the same-angle imaging of the same scene when rotating at different angles.

[0066] Specifically, the near-infrared fluorescence includes near-infrared region I and near-infrared region II. The wavelength of near-infrared region I is 800nm - 1000nm. The imaging of near-infrared region I has the characteristics of strong fluorescence signal and rich fluorescent dyes. The wavelength of near-infrared region II is 1000nm - 3000nm. The imaging of near-infrared region II is subject to lower light scattering, has a deeper penetration depth, lower background, and higher spatial resolution.

[0067] The second dichroic mirror 30 can transmit and reflect incident light according to the wavelength. A long-pass dichroic mirror can transmit incident light with a wavelength greater than the cut-off wavelength and reflect incident light with a wavelength less than the cut-off wavelength. A short-pass dichroic mirror can transmit incident light with a wavelength less than the cut-off wavelength and reflect incident light with a wavelength greater than the cut-off wavelength. The cut-off wavelength of the second dichroic mirror 30 can be a point value of any one of 700nm, 750nm, 800nm, 850nm, 900nm, 950nm, 1000nm or a range value between any two of them.

[0068] In one embodiment, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a long-pass dichroic mirror with a cut-off wavelength of 750nm, that is, the second dichroic mirror 30 transmits incident light with a wavelength greater than 750nm and reflects incident light with a wavelength less than 750nm. In another embodiment, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a short-pass dichroic mirror with a cut-off wavelength of 800nm, that is, the second dichroic mirror 30 transmits incident light with a wavelength less than 800nm and reflects incident light with a wavelength greater than 800nm. The appropriate second dichroic mirror 30 can be selected according to the target object and actual needs.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 1 , in some embodiments, the imaging system 100 includes a first filter 80 and a second filter 81. The first filter 80 is disposed between the near-infrared camera 40 and the second dichroic mirror 30 and is used to filter the near-infrared fluorescence entering the near-infrared camera 40; the second filter 81 is disposed between the visible-light camera 50 and the second dichroic mirror 30 and is used to filter the visible light entering the visible-light camera 50.

[0070] In this way, the first filter 80 and the second filter 81 can filter light, allow light of a specific wavelength to pass through, and cut off unnecessary light, thereby ensuring the effective separation of light in different bands and improving the imaging quality of the visible-light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40.

[0071] Specifically, the first filter 80 and the near-infrared camera 40 are respectively vertically disposed on the near-infrared fluorescence imaging optical path split by the second dichroic mirror 30. The near-infrared fluorescence is filtered by the first filter 80 and then converges to the near-infrared camera 40 for imaging.

[0072] The second filter 81 and the visible-light camera 50 are respectively vertically disposed on the optical path of the visible light split by the second dichroic mirror 30. The visible light is filtered by the second filter 81 and then converges to the visible-light camera 50 for imaging.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first filter 80 is a long-pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the first filter 80 is greater than 800 nm; alternatively, the first filter 80 is a band-pass filter, and the central wavelength of the first filter 80 is greater than 800 nm; and / or, the second filter 81 is a short-pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the second filter 81 is 700 nm - 750 nm.

[0074] In this way, the first filter 80 can filter out visible light, so that only near-infrared fluorescence can enter the near-infrared camera 40, realizing effective separation of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, thereby ensuring the imaging quality of the near-infrared camera 40. The second filter 81 can filter out near-infrared fluorescence, so that only visible light can enter the visible-light camera 50, realizing effective separation of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, thereby ensuring the imaging quality of the visible-light camera 50.

[0075] Specifically, the cut-off wavelength of the first filter 80 can be 800 nm, 850 nm, 900 nm, 950 nm, 1000 nm, 1100 nm, etc. In one embodiment, the cut-off wavelength of the first filter 80 is 900 nm, that is, the first filter 80 allows light with a wavelength greater than 900 nm to pass through and cuts off light with a wavelength less than 900 nm.

[0076] The cut-off wavelength of the second filter 81 can be a point value of any one of 700 nm, 710 nm, 720 nm, 730 nm, 740 nm, 750 nm or a range value between any two of them. In one embodiment, the cut-off wavelength of the second filter 81 is 730 nm, that is, the second filter 81 allows light with a wavelength less than 730 nm to pass through and cuts off light with a wavelength greater than 730 nm.

[0077] It can be that the first filter 80 is a long-pass filter or a band-pass filter, or the second filter 81 is a short-pass filter, or the first filter 80 is a long-pass filter or a band-pass filter, and the second filter 81 is a short-pass filter. In one embodiment, both the first filter 80 and the second filter 81 can be band-pass filters.

[0078] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5, in some embodiments, the illumination light source 12 emits illumination light in a continuous manner, the visible light camera 50 images in a pulsed manner, the excitation light source 11 emits laser light during the pulse gaps, and the near-infrared camera 40 images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source 11; or, the illumination light source 12 emits illumination light in a pulsed manner, the visible light camera 50 images with the same pulse timing as the illumination light source 12, the excitation light source 11 emits laser light during the pulse gaps, and the near-infrared camera 40 images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source 11; or, the illumination light source 12 and the excitation light source 11 emit illumination continuously, and the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame rate.

[0079] In this way, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 can image the same scene from the same perspective. In addition, pulsed imaging can reduce the thermal impact on the target object while achieving high-intensity illumination.

[0080] Specifically, in one embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts to work, the controller 90 outputs a signal to keep the illumination light source 12 continuously lit. Subsequently, the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to control the visible light camera 50 to capture the first color photo. When the visible light camera 50 has captured the first photo, the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to control the excitation light source 11 to generate pulsed illumination and at the same time controls the near-infrared camera 40 to capture the first near-infrared photo. When the near-infrared camera 40 has captured the first near-infrared photo, the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to control the visible light camera 50 to capture the second color photo, and so on.

[0081] In another embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts to work, the controller 90 outputs a signal to make the illumination light source 12 emit pulsed illumination and controls the visible light camera 50 to capture the first color photo. When the visible light camera 50 has captured the first photo, the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to control the excitation light source 11 to generate pulsed illumination and at the same time controls the near-infrared camera 40 to capture the first near-infrared photo. When the near-infrared camera 40 has captured the first near-infrared photo, the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to make the illumination light source 12 emit pulsed illumination and controls the visible light camera 50 to capture the second color photo, and so on.

[0082] In yet another embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts to work, the controller 90 outputs a signal to keep the illumination light source 12 and the excitation light source 11 continuously lit, and at the same time the controller 90 outputs a pulsed signal to control the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 to perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame rate.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 1, in some embodiments, the imaging system 100 includes a controller 90, which is respectively connected to a light source 10, a visible light camera 50, and a near-infrared camera 40 to control the sequential operation of the light source 10, the visible light camera 50, and the near-infrared camera 40. The controller 90 is configured to fuse the images acquired by the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40.

[0084] In this way, the controller 90 can achieve separate imaging of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, as well as dual-channel fusion imaging of visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, providing precise navigation images for the surgery.

[0085] Specifically, the controller 90 is coupled to the light source 10 to adjust the output of the light source 10. The controller 90 can be an independent controller 90 for controlling the output of the light source 10. In one embodiment, the controller 90 can independently control the intensity of each light source 10 to balance the amount of emitted laser light and visible light.

[0086] The image acquired by the visible light camera 50 is a visible light image, and the image acquired by the near-infrared camera 40 is a near-infrared image. The specific method of fusing the visible light image and the near-infrared image can be to perform image denoising, image enhancement, etc. on the visible light image and the near-infrared image, calculate the registration parameters based on the preliminarily processed visible light image and near-infrared image, then perform pseudo-color mapping on the near-infrared image, and superimpose the pseudo-colors on the visible light image respectively to obtain a fused image of the visible light image and the near-infrared image. In one embodiment, the imaging system 100 includes a display screen, and the controller 90 displays the visible light image, the near-infrared image, and the fused image on the display screen through mode selection.

[0087] In one embodiment, the imaging system 100 includes an endoscope 20 with high transmittance in the range of 400nm - 1700nm and a coupling lens group 70, a cubic long-wave pass dichroic mirror with a wavelength of 800nm, a 750nm short-wave pass filter, an 1100nm long-wave pass filter, a visible light camera 50, a short-wave near-infrared camera 40, an optical fiber 60, a white light LED light source, an 808nm laser, a long-wave pass dichroic mirror with a cut-off wavelength of 700 - 900nm, and a controller 90.

[0088] The 808nm laser and the white light LED light source are combined by a dichroic mirror and then introduced into the optical fiber 60 through a focusing lens 14, and then introduced into the endoscope 20 through the optical fiber 60, and then irradiated on the target object. The laser and the white light LED light source can be controlled by the controller 90 to generate pulsed illumination.

[0089] In working mode 1: The controller 90 controls the white light LED light source to generate continuous white light illumination. When the white light irradiates on the target object, visible light will be reflected. The visible light reflected by the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by the 800 nm dichroic mirror and filtered by the 750 nm short-wave pass filter, and then forms an image on the visible light camera 50. After visible light imaging, the controller 90 controls the laser to generate 808 nm pulsed illumination. The target object is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence. The near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then forms an image on the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through the 800 nm dichroic mirror and the 1100 nm long-wave pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 collect images sequentially, and the process is as Figure 4 shown.

[0090] In working mode 2: The controller 90 controls the white light LED light source to generate pulsed white light illumination. When the white light irradiates on the target object, visible light will be reflected. The visible light reflected by the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by the 800 nm dichroic mirror and filtered by the 750 nm short-wave pass filter, and then forms an image on the visible light camera 50. After visible light imaging, the controller 90 controls the laser to generate 808 nm pulsed illumination. The target object is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence. The near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then forms an image on the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through the 800 nm dichroic mirror and the 1100 nm long-wave pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 collect images sequentially, and the process is as Figure 5 shown.

[0091] In working mode 3: The controller 90 controls the white light LED light source to generate continuous white light illumination. When the white light irradiates on the target object, visible light will be reflected. The visible light reflected by the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by the 800 nm dichroic mirror and filtered by the 750 nm short-wave pass filter, and then forms an image on the visible light camera 50. At the same time, the controller 90 controls the laser to generate 808 nm continuous illumination. The target object is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence. The near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then forms an image on the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through the 800 nm dichroic mirror and the 1100 nm long-wave pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 collect images synchronously, and the process is as Figure 6 shown.

[0092] In the description of this specification, the descriptions referring to terms such as "one embodiment", "certain embodiments", "schematic embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present utility model. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0093] Although the embodiments of the present utility model have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present utility model, and the scope of the present utility model is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An imaging system, characterized in that, Comprising: A light source, including an excitation light source, an illumination light source, and a first dichroic mirror, where the first dichroic mirror is used to combine the light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source; An endoscope, which is connected to the light source. The light beam emitted by the light source is irradiated onto a target object through the endoscope so that the target object reflects visible light and emits near-infrared fluorescence when excited. The endoscope is used to collect the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the target object; A second dichroic mirror, which is arranged on the optical axis of the endoscope and is used to split the light from the endoscope into the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence; A visible light camera, which is used to image the visible light from the second dichroic mirror; and, A near-infrared camera, which is used to image the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroic mirror.

2. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The light source includes a focusing lens, which is located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror and is used to direct the light beam from the first dichroic mirror to an optical fiber, and then through the optical fiber to the endoscope.

3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The endoscope includes an objective lens group and a relay lens group. The objective lens group is used to collect the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the target object and form an intermediate image, and the relay lens group is used to image the intermediate image at one end of the endoscope close to the second dichroic mirror.

4. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein, The imaging system includes a coupling lens group, which is used to transfer the light from the endoscope to the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera.

5. The imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The visible light camera and the near-infrared camera image in sequence.

6. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The wavelength of the visible light is 400nm - 700nm, and the wavelength of the near-infrared fluorescence is 800nm - 3000nm; and / or, The second dichroic mirror is a long-wave pass dichroic mirror and / or a short-wave pass dichroic mirror, and the cut-off wavelength of the second dichroic mirror is 700nm - 1000nm.

7. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The imaging system includes a first filter and a second filter. The first filter is arranged between the near-infrared camera and the second dichroic mirror and is used to filter the near-infrared fluorescence entering the near-infrared camera; the second filter is arranged between the visible light camera and the second dichroic mirror and is used to filter the visible light entering the visible light camera.

8. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein The first filter is a long-wave pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800nm; or, The first filter is a band-pass filter, and the central wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800nm; and / or, The second filter is a short-wave pass filter, and the cut-off wavelength of the second filter is 700nm - 750nm.

9. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The illumination light source emits illumination light in a continuous manner, the visible light camera images in a pulsed manner, the excitation light source emits laser during the pulse gap, and the near-infrared camera images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source; Or, The illumination light source emits illumination light in a pulsed manner, the visible light camera images with the same pulse timing as the illumination light source, the excitation light source emits laser light during the pulse gaps, and the near-infrared camera images with the same pulse timing as the excitation light source; or, The illumination light source and the excitation light source emit illumination continuously, and the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame rate.

10. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The imaging system includes a controller, which is respectively connected to the light source, the visible light camera, and the near-infrared camera to control the sequential operation of the light source, the visible light camera, and the near-infrared camera, and the controller is used to fuse the images acquired by the visible light camera and the images acquired by the near-infrared camera.

Images