Imaging system

Abstract

An imaging system (100), comprising 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) comprises an excitation light source (11), an illumination light source (12), and a first dichroic mirror (13), and the first dichroic mirror (13) is used for combining 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). A light beam emitted by the light source (10) is shed on a target object by means of the endoscope (20), so that the target object reflects visible light and is excited to emit near-infrared fluorescence, and the endoscope (20) is used for collecting the visible light and the 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 for splitting light from the endoscope (20) into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence. The visible light camera (50) is used for imaging the visible light from the second dichroic mirror (30), and the near-infrared camera (40) is used for imaging the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroic mirror (30).

Description

Imaging system

[0001]

[0002]

[0003] Priority information

[0004] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application Nos. 202410957791.0, 202421699038.8, filed on July 17, 2024, with the China National Intellectual Property Office, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0005] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0006] The present application relates to the field of optical molecular imaging, and in particular to an imaging system. BACKGROUND

[0007] In recent years, with the leap of minimally invasive surgery to the era of precision medicine, "small trauma and fast recovery" is the biggest highlight of the implementation of new surgical procedures. However, minimally invasive surgery also tests the skills of surgeons. Fluorescent laparoscopy is a new surgical assistance technology, also known as intraoperative "Beidou navigation", which enables surgeons to have "x-ray eyes" to help them more clearly and easily identify tissue structures such as blood vessels and bile ducts during surgery, thereby avoiding collateral damage such as blood vessels and making surgery safer and more precise. Fluorescent laparoscopy can serve as an "intraoperative navigation map" to help surgeons more clearly and easily identify the location of tumors during surgery. In laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor surgery, how to accurately locate early tumors and their margins; how to observe anastomotic blood supply to ensure anastomotic blood supply 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.

[0008] To solve the above problems, doctors began to try to use ICG (indocyanine green) labeled near-infrared (NIR) imaging fluorescent laparoscopy technology to accurately locate gastrointestinal tumors under the laparoscope, label sentinel lymph nodes, perform lymphatic drainage navigation and evaluate intraoperative anastomotic blood supply, etc. ICG imaging technology has been applied in medical research since the 1950s. It was first used as a dye in cardiac surgery, ophthalmology and neurosurgery, etc. in the early days, and its fluorescent properties have been applied to sentinel lymph node tracking navigation, tissue blood supply evaluation, lymph node tracking, and other visual surgical procedures in the last decade.

[0009] With the advent of ICG-labeled near-infrared imaging laparoscopic systems in recent years, ICG has gradually been promoted in laparoscopic surgery. Its applications mainly include two aspects: intravenous injection for evaluating tissue blood supply; and local injection around the tumor for tumor localization and lymph node navigation. Through fluorescence imaging, tiny lesions or lymph node metastases that cannot be seen under visible light can be presented to the surgeon, making the surgery safer and more accurate.

[0010] However, the current fluorescence laparoscope also has some disadvantages:

[0011] 1. Limited imaging depth: The existing fluorescence laparoscope equipment is mainly based on visible light and near-infrared region 1, and its imaging depth is limited, which may make it difficult to observe deeper tissues and lesions.

[0012] 2. The matching fluorescent dye ICG does not have the ability to actively target tumors and metastatic lesions, which makes it difficult to accurately identify tiny cancer lesions and distant metastases during surgery.

[0013] Near-infrared region 2 fluorescence laparoscope is a new type of fluorescence imaging technology, with a wavelength range of 1000-1700 nm, which has the advantages of deeper imaging depth, clearer images and higher resolution. This makes the near-infrared region 2 fluorescence laparoscope more potential in discovering hidden lesions in deep tissues, identifying tissue structures, and accurately identifying lesions. Although the application prospect of near-infrared region 2 fluorescence laparoscope is very broad, there is still a lack of related equipment on the market, which also brings opportunities and challenges to the research and development in related fields. SUMMARY

[0014] The present application provides an imaging system.

[0015] The imaging system of the present application comprises a light source, an endoscope, a second dichroic mirror, a visible light camera and a near-infrared camera. The light source comprises an excitation light source, an illumination light source and a first dichroic mirror, and 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 beams emitted by the light source are irradiated onto the target object through the endoscope to make the target object reflect visible light and emit near-infrared fluorescence. The endoscope is used to collect 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 separate 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.

[0016] Thus, the beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source can be combined by the first dichroic mirror, so that the beam emitted by the excitation light source and the beam emitted by the illumination light source can irradiate the same position of the target object, and the near-infrared fluorescence and the visible light of the same scene can be imaged. At the same time, the second dichroic mirror separates the near-infrared fluorescence and the visible light, reduces the influence of the visible light on the near-infrared fluorescence imaging, reduces the parallax problem existing in the dual-channel imaging, and realizes the same-view imaging of the same scene.

[0017] In some embodiments, the light source comprises a focusing lens, which is located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror and is used to guide the light beam from the first dichroic mirror to the optical fiber, and then to the endoscope through the optical fiber.

[0018] In some embodiments, the endoscope comprises 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 to the end of the endoscope close to the second dichroic mirror.

[0019] Thus, the endoscope can image the target object at the distal end to the proximal end, so that the medical staff can observe the actual situation in the surgical area through the endoscope, and facilitate the medical staff to clearly understand the surgical environment to achieve the purpose of stable surgery.

[0020] In some embodiments, the imaging system comprises a coupling lens group, which is used to transmit the light from the endoscope to the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera.

[0021] Thus, the coupling lens group can effectively focus the light from the endoscope to 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.

[0022] In some embodiments, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera image in sequence.

[0023] Thus, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera image in sequence can avoid the influence of laser or LED light on visible light imaging, so as to realize the same-view imaging of the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence of the same scene.

[0024] 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-wave dichroic mirror and / or a short-wave dichroic mirror, and the cutoff wavelength of the second dichroic mirror is 700nm-1000nm.

[0025] 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, so that the same view angle imaging of the same scene can be realized when the imaging system rotates different angles.

[0026] In some embodiments, the imaging system comprises 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 for filtering the near-infrared fluorescence entering the near-infrared camera; and the second filter is arranged between the visible light camera and the second dichroic mirror and is used for filtering the visible light entering the visible light camera.

[0027] 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 light that is not needed, so that the effective separation of the light of different wavebands can be ensured, and the imaging quality of the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera can be improved.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first filter is a long-wave pass filter, the cut-off wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800 nm; or, the first filter is a band-pass filter, the center wavelength of the first filter is greater than 800 nm; and / or, the second filter is a short-wave pass filter, the cut-off wavelength of the second filter is 700 nm-750 nm.

[0029] In this way, the first filter can filter out the visible light, so that only the near-infrared fluorescence can enter the near-infrared camera, the effective separation of the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence can be realized, and the imaging quality of the near-infrared camera can be ensured. The second filter can filter out the near-infrared fluorescence, so that only the visible light can enter the visible light camera, the effective separation of the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence can be realized, and the imaging quality of the visible light camera can be ensured.

[0030] In some embodiments, the imaging mode of the imaging system comprises a continuous working mode and a pulse working mode.

[0031] In the pulse working mode, the excitation light source emits excitation light in a pulse manner, and the near-infrared camera images in a time sequence corresponding to at least one pulse of the excitation light source; or

[0032] The illumination light source emits illumination light in a continuous manner, the visible light camera images in a pulse manner, the excitation light source emits laser light in a pulse gap, and the near-infrared camera images in the same pulse time sequence as the excitation light source; or, the illumination light source emits illumination light in a pulse manner, the visible light camera images in the same pulse time sequence as the illumination light source, the excitation light source emits laser light in a pulse gap, and the near-infrared camera images in the same pulse time sequence as the excitation light source; or, the illumination light source and the excitation light source emit illumination in a continuous manner, and the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame speed.

[0033] In this way, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera can image the same scene at the same angle of view. In addition, the pulse imaging can reduce the thermal effect on the target object while achieving high-intensity illumination.

[0034] In some embodiments, the imaging system comprises a controller connected to the light source, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera, respectively, to control the light source, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera to work sequentially, and the controller is configured to fuse the image captured by the visible light camera and the image captured by the near-infrared camera.

[0035] In this way, the controller can realize visible light and near-infrared fluorescence imaging and visible light and near-infrared fluorescence dual-channel fusion imaging, respectively, to provide precise navigation images for surgery.

[0036] Additional aspects and advantages of the application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and / or by practice of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily appreciated from the following description, including the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 5 is a timing diagram of a controller according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 6 is a timing diagram of a controller according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 7 is a timing diagram of a controller according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Reference signs: 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. Embodiments of the present application

[0046] Embodiments of the present application will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals throughout. The embodiments described below by reference to the drawings are exemplary only, and are merely intended to explain the present application, and are not to be understood as limiting the present application.

[0047] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are merely intended to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or elements indicated thereby must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated thereby. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0048] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixedly connected, or can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected, or can communicate with each other; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or can be the internal communication or interaction relationship of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0049] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the "upper" or "lower" of the first feature to the second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, the "upper", "above" and "on" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The "under", "below" and "under" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0050] The disclosure that follows provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different structures of the application. For the purpose of simplicity and clarity, the elements of the specific examples are illustrated in their general form. It will of course be understood that in the various uses of the application, the elements shown can be in different positions and / or arranged in different orientations. Furthermore, where specific examples are given, it will be understood that it is the principles of the application and the application of the principles of the application that are important rather than the specific details of the examples. In addition, the application provides examples of various specific processes and materials that can be used in the application, but it will be understood that other processes and / or materials can be used.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the imaging system 100 of the present application comprises 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 comprises 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 with the light source 10, the light beams emitted by the light source 10 are irradiated on the target object through the endoscope 20 to make the target object reflect visible light and emit near-infrared fluorescence, the endoscope 20 is used to collect the visible light and the 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 separate 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.

[0052] In this way, the light beams emitted by the excitation light source 11 and the illumination light source 12 can be combined by the first dichroic mirror 13, so that the light beams emitted by the excitation light source 11 and the illumination light source 12 can irradiate on the same position of the target object, and the near-infrared fluorescence and the visible light of the same scene can be imaged. At the same time, the second dichroic mirror 30 separates the near-infrared fluorescence and the visible light, reduces the influence of the visible light on the imaging of the near-infrared fluorescence, reduces the parallax problem existing in the dual-channel imaging, and realizes the same-view imaging of the same scene.

[0053] 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 source 10 that can produce white light. The visible light provided by the illumination light source 12 is transmitted to the visible light camera 50 to realize the imaging of the real scene, and the near-infrared light provided by the excitation light source 11 irradiates the fluorescent probe on the patient's part to make it emit near-infrared fluorescence, the near-infrared fluorescence is received by the near-infrared camera 40 and converted into an image signal, and then the near-infrared fluorescence imaging is realized, and the near-infrared light is an electromagnetic wave between visible light and mid-infrared light.

[0054] The first dichroic mirror 13 can be a long-wave pass dichroic mirror or a short-wave pass dichroic mirror, depending on the positions of the visible light illumination light source and the near-infrared light source, and 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-wave pass dichroic mirror with a cut-off wavelength of 800 nm, that is, the first dichroic mirror 13 can transmit a light beam with a wavelength greater than 800 nm and reflect a light beam with a wavelength less than 800 nm.

[0055] The endoscope 20 mainly enters the sterile tissue of the human body, the organ or the sterile cavity of the human body through a surgical incision, such as a laparoscope, a thoracoscope, an arthroscope, etc. The endoscope 20 has the advantages of clear imaging, high resolution, multiple working channels, and multiple fields of view. 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 required field of view size or field of view angle of the actual observation scene. The endoscope 20 and the light source 10 can be connected through an optical fiber 60, which is a fiber made of glass. The length of the optical fiber 60 can be set according to actual needs, such as 2 m, 2.5 m, 3 m, etc.

[0056] The second dichroic mirror 30 is a passive device that does not require external energy and can separate specific spectra from the light from the endoscope 20 and change the direction of the light path of part of the spectra. It can almost completely transmit light of a certain wavelength and almost completely reflect light of another wavelength.

[0057] The optical axis of the near-infrared camera 40 can be perpendicular to the optical axis of the visible light camera 50. In order to be convenient to use, the reflection angle of the second dichroic mirror 30 can be set to 45°.

[0058] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the light source 10 includes a focusing lens 14, which is located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror 13 and is used to guide 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.

[0059] In this way, the focusing lens 14 can converge the light beam combined by the first dichroic mirror 13, so that the light beam transmitted to the endoscope 20 is more concentrated, the light beam density is improved, and the imaging quality of the imaging system 100 is improved.

[0060] 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.

[0061] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the endoscope 20 comprises an objective lens group 21 and a relay lens group 22, the objective lens group 21 is used for collecting visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from a target object and forming an intermediate image, and the relay lens group 22 is used for imaging the intermediate image to an end of the endoscope 20 close to the second dichroic mirror 30.

[0062] In this way, the endoscope 20 can image the target object at the distal end to the proximal end, so that the medical staff can observe the actual situation in the operation area through the endoscope 20, which facilitates the medical staff to clearly understand the operation environment, so as to achieve the purpose of stabilizing the operation.

[0063] Specifically, the objective lens group 21 can be composed of multiple objective lenses 23, for example, 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, double-convex lenses, concave-convex lenses, etc. The number of relay lenses 24 can be an even number, for example, two, four, six, etc.

[0064] In one embodiment, the number of relay lenses 24 is four, and the four relay lenses 24 are distributed along the objective lens group 21 close to the second dichroic mirror 30, and are sequentially the first relay lens 24, the second relay lens 24, the third relay lens 24, and the fourth relay lens 24. The objective lens group 21 collects visible light and near-infrared fluorescence from a 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 reverses the intermediate image to form a first image between the first relay lens 24 and the second relay lens 24, the second relay lens 24 reverses the first image to form a second image between the second relay lens 24 and the third relay lens 24, the third relay lens 24 reverses the second image to form a third image between the third relay lens 24 and the fourth relay lens 24, and the fourth relay lens 24 reverses the third image to form a fourth image on the side of the fourth relay lens 24 away from the third relay lens 24.

[0065] The lenses of the objective lens group 21 and the relay lens group 22 can work in the 400nm-3000nm waveband, and are coated with an antireflection film with high transmittance in this waveband. In one embodiment, the lenses can work in the 400nm-1700nm waveband, and are coated with an antireflection film with high transmittance in this waveband. This makes the entire endoscope 20 have high transmittance in the visible light and near-infrared fluorescence waveband.

[0066] Please refer to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the imaging system 100 comprises a coupling lens group 70, which is used for transmitting light from the endoscope 20 to the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40.

[0067] In this way, the coupling lens group 70 can effectively focus the light from the endoscope 20 to 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.

[0068] Specifically, the coupling lens group 70 can be located between the second dichroic mirror 30 and the endoscope 20, and transmit the light from the endoscope 20 to the second dichroic mirror 30, and then transmit the light from the second dichroic mirror 30 to the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40. 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, and the second dichroic mirror 30 transmits the light from the endoscope 20 to the coupling lens group 70, and then transmits the light from the coupling lens group 70 to the corresponding visible light camera 50 and near-infrared camera 40.

[0069] In some embodiments, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image sequentially.

[0070] In this way, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image sequentially can avoid the influence of the laser or LED light on the visible light imaging, so as to realize the same-viewing-angle imaging of the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence for the same scene.

[0071] Specifically, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 image sequentially can be that the visible light camera 50 images first and then the near-infrared camera 40 images, or that the near-infrared camera 40 images first and then the visible light camera 50 images. In one embodiment, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 can image synchronously, i.e., 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.

[0072] In some embodiments, the wavelength of the visible light is 400 nm-700 nm, and the wavelength of the near-infrared fluorescence is 800 nm-3000 nm; and / or, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a long-wave dichroic mirror and / or a short-wave dichroic mirror, and the cutoff wavelength of the second dichroic mirror 30 is 700 nm-1000 nm.

[0073] In this way, the second dichroic mirror 30 can separate the light of the same scene into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence according to the wavelength difference, and ensure that the same-viewing-angle imaging of the same scene can be realized when the imaging system 100 rotates at different angles.

[0074] Specifically, near-infrared fluorescence includes near-infrared region I and near-infrared region II. Near-infrared region I has a wavelength of 800nm-1000nm. Near-infrared region I imaging is characterized by strong fluorescence signal and rich fluorescent dyes. Near-infrared region II has a wavelength of 1000nm-3000nm. Near-infrared region II imaging is subject to lower light scattering, has a deeper penetration depth, lower background and higher spatial resolution.

[0075] The second dichroic mirror 30 can transmit and reflect incident light according to wavelength. A long-pass dichroic mirror can transmit incident light with wavelengths greater than the cutoff wavelength and reflect incident light with wavelengths less than the cutoff wavelength. A short-pass dichroic mirror can transmit incident light with wavelengths less than the cutoff wavelength and reflect incident light with wavelengths greater than the cutoff wavelength. The cutoff wavelength of the second dichroic mirror 30 can be a point value or a range between any two of 700nm, 750nm, 800nm, 850nm, 900nm, 950nm, and 1000nm.

[0076] In one embodiment, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a long-pass dichroic mirror with a cutoff wavelength of 750 nm, meaning it transmits incident light with wavelengths greater than 750 nm and reflects incident light with wavelengths less than 750 nm. In another embodiment, the second dichroic mirror 30 is a short-pass dichroic mirror with a cutoff wavelength of 800 nm, meaning it transmits incident light with wavelengths less than 800 nm and reflects incident light with wavelengths greater than 800 nm. A suitable second dichroic mirror 30 can be selected based on the target object and actual needs.

[0077] Referring 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 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 visible light entering the visible light camera 50.

[0078] Thus, the first filter 80 and the second filter 81 can filter light, allowing light of a specific wavelength to pass through while blocking unwanted light, thereby ensuring the effective separation of light of different wavelengths and improving the imaging quality of the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40.

[0079] Specifically, the first filter 80 and the near-infrared camera 40 are respectively vertically arranged on the near-infrared fluorescence imaging optical path after the light is split by the second dichroic mirror 30. The near-infrared fluorescence is focused onto the near-infrared camera 40 for imaging after being filtered by the first filter 80.

[0080] The second filter 81 and the visible light camera 50 are respectively vertically arranged in the optical path of the visible light after it has been split by the second dichroic mirror 30. The visible light is filtered by the second filter 81 and then converged to the visible light camera 50 for imaging.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first filter 80 is a long-pass filter with a cutoff wavelength greater than 800 nm; or, the first filter 80 is a band-pass filter with a center wavelength greater than 800 nm; and / or, the second filter 81 is a short-pass filter with a cutoff wavelength of 700 nm-750 nm.

[0082] Thus, the first filter 80 can filter out visible light, allowing only near-infrared fluorescence to enter the near-infrared camera 40, effectively separating 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, allowing only visible light to enter the visible light camera 50, effectively separating visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, thereby ensuring the imaging quality of the visible light camera 50.

[0083] Specifically, the cutoff wavelength of the first filter 80 can be 800nm, 850nm, 900nm, 950nm, 1000nm, 1100nm, etc. In one embodiment, the cutoff wavelength of the first filter 80 is 900nm, that is, the first filter 80 allows light with wavelengths greater than 900nm to pass through, and cuts off light with wavelengths less than 900nm.

[0084] The cutoff wavelength of the second filter 81 can be a point value or a range between any two of 700nm, 710nm, 720nm, 730nm, 740nm, and 750nm. In one embodiment, the cutoff wavelength of the second filter 81 is 730nm, meaning that the second filter 81 allows light with wavelengths less than 730nm to pass through and cuts off light with wavelengths greater than 730nm.

[0085] The first filter 80 can be a long-pass filter or a band-pass filter, or the second filter 81 can be a short-pass filter. Alternatively, the first filter 80 can be a long-pass filter or a band-pass filter, and the second filter 81 can be a short-pass filter. In one embodiment, both the first filter 80 and the second filter 81 can be band-pass filters.

[0086] In some embodiments, the imaging mode of the imaging system 100 includes a continuous operating mode and a pulsed operating mode.

[0087] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, in the pulsed operating mode, the illumination source 12 emits illumination light continuously, the visible light camera 50 performs imaging in a pulsed manner, the excitation source 11 emits laser light during the pulse intervals, and the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging with the same pulse timing as the excitation source 11; or, the illumination source 12 emits illumination light in a pulsed manner, the visible light camera 50 performs imaging with the same pulse timing as the illumination source 12, the excitation source 11 emits laser light during the pulse intervals, and the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging with the same pulse timing as the excitation source 11; or, the illumination source 12 and the excitation 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.

[0088] 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, pulse imaging can reduce the thermal impact on the target object while achieving high-intensity illumination.

[0089] Specifically, in one embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts working, the controller 90 outputs a signal to keep the illumination source 12 lit. Then, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to control the visible light camera 50 to capture the first color photograph. When the visible light camera 50 has finished capturing the first photograph, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to control the excitation source 11 to generate pulse illumination and simultaneously controls the near-infrared camera 40 to capture the first near-infrared photograph. When the near-infrared camera 40 has finished capturing the first near-infrared photograph, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to control the visible light camera 50 to capture the second color photograph, and so on.

[0090] In another embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts working, the controller 90 outputs a signal to cause the illumination source 12 to emit pulsed illumination and controls the visible light camera 50 to acquire the first color photograph. When the visible light camera 50 has acquired the first photograph, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to control the excitation source 11 to generate pulsed illumination and simultaneously controls the near-infrared camera 40 to acquire the first near-infrared photograph. When the near-infrared camera 40 has acquired the first near-infrared photograph, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to cause the illumination source 12 to emit pulsed illumination and controls the visible light camera 50 to acquire the second color photograph, and so on.

[0091] In another embodiment, after the imaging system 100 starts working, the controller 90 outputs a signal to keep the illumination source 12 and the excitation source 11 lit, and at the same time, the controller 90 outputs a pulse signal to control the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 to perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame rate.

[0092] In some embodiments, the excitation source 11 emits excitation light in a pulsed manner, and the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging in a timing sequence corresponding to at least one pulse of the excitation source 11.

[0093] In one example, the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging with a timing sequence corresponding to one pulse of the excitation source 11. In this case, the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging with the same pulse timing sequence as the excitation source 11. The pulse duration of the near-infrared camera 40 can be greater than, less than, or equal to the pulse duration of the excitation source 11. Furthermore, the rising edge of the pulse of the near-infrared camera 40 is earlier than the rising edge of the pulse of the excitation source 11, and the falling edge of the pulse of the near-infrared camera 40 is later than the falling edge of the pulse of the excitation source 11.

[0094] In another example, the near-infrared camera 40 performs imaging in a timing sequence corresponding to multiple pulses of the excitation source 11. The pulse duration of the near-infrared camera 40 can be greater than or equal to the total duration of the multiple pulses of the excitation source 11. Furthermore, the rising edge of the pulse of the near-infrared camera 40 is earlier than the rising edge of the pulse of the first excitation source 11, and the falling edge of the pulse of the near-infrared camera 40 is later than the falling edge of the pulse of the last excitation source 11.

[0095] Referring to Figure 1, in some embodiments, the imaging system 100 includes a controller 90, which is connected to the light source 10, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 respectively, to control the light source 10, the visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 to work sequentially. The controller 90 is used to fuse the images acquired by the visible light camera 50 and the images acquired by the near-infrared camera 40.

[0096] Thus, 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 surgery.

[0097] Specifically, controller 90 is coupled to light source 10 to regulate the output of light source 10. Controller 90 can be an independent controller 90 for controlling the output of light source 10. In one embodiment, controller 90 can independently control the intensity of each light source 10 to balance the amount of emitted laser and visible light.

[0098] 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 for fusing the visible light and near-infrared images can be to perform image denoising and image enhancement on both images, calculate registration parameters based on the pre-processed visible light and near-infrared images, then perform pseudo-color mapping on the near-infrared image, and superimpose the pseudo-color onto the visible light image to obtain a fused image. In one embodiment, the imaging system 100 includes a display screen, and the controller 90 displays the visible light image, near-infrared image, and fused image on the display screen through mode selection.

[0099] In one embodiment, the imaging system 100 includes an endoscope 20 with high transmittance of 400nm-1700nm and a coupling lens group 70, a cubic long-pass dichroic mirror with a wavelength of 800nm, a 750nm short-pass filter, an 1100nm long-pass filter, a visible light camera 50, a short-wave near-infrared camera 40, an optical fiber 60, a white LED light source, an 808nm laser, a long-pass dichroic mirror with a cutoff wavelength of 700-900nm, and a controller 90.

[0100] An 808nm laser and a white LED light source are combined by a dichroic mirror and then transmitted through a focusing lens 14 into an optical fiber 60. The light is then transmitted through the optical fiber 60 to an endoscope 20 and subsequently illuminates the target object. The laser and white LED light source can be controlled by a controller 90 to generate pulsed illumination.

[0101] In operating mode 1: Controller 90 controls a white LED light source to generate continuous white light illumination. When the white light shines on the target object, it reflects visible light. The visible light reflected from the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror, and filtered by a 750nm short-pass filter before being imaged onto the visible light camera 50. After visible light imaging, controller 90 controls a laser to generate 808nm pulsed illumination, exciting the target object to emit near-infrared fluorescence. The near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then imaged onto the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror and an 1100nm long-pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 acquire data sequentially, as shown in Figure 4.

[0102] In operating mode 2: Controller 90 controls a white LED light source to generate pulsed white light illumination. When this white light illuminates the target object, it reflects visible light. The visible light reflected from the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror, and filtered by a 750nm short-pass filter before being imaged onto the visible light camera 50. After visible light imaging, controller 90 controls a laser to generate 808nm pulsed illumination, exciting the target object to emit near-infrared fluorescence. This near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then imaged onto the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror and an 1100nm long-pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 acquire data sequentially, as shown in Figure 5.

[0103] In operating mode 3: Controller 90 controls a white LED light source to generate continuous white light illumination. When this white light illuminates the target object, it reflects visible light. The visible light reflected from the target object passes through the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, is reflected by an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror, and filtered by a 750nm short-pass filter before being imaged onto the visible light camera 50. Simultaneously, controller 90 controls a laser to generate continuous 808nm illumination, exciting the target object to emit near-infrared fluorescence. This near-infrared fluorescence is collected by the broadband endoscope 20 and the coupling lens group 70, and then imaged onto the near-infrared camera 40 after passing through an 800nm ​​dichroic mirror and an 1100nm long-pass filter. The visible light camera 50 and the near-infrared camera 40 acquire data synchronously, as shown in Figure 6.

[0104] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0105] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An imaging system, characterized by, The imaging system comprises: a light source, including an excitation light source, an illumination light source and a first dichroic mirror, the first dichroic mirror being used for merging light beams emitted by the excitation light source and the illumination light source; an endoscope connected with the light source, the light beams emitted by the light source being irradiated on a target object through the endoscope to make the target object reflect visible light and emit near-infrared fluorescence under excitation, the endoscope being used for collecting the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the target object; a second dichroic mirror arranged on the optical axis of the endoscope, used for separating the light rays from the endoscope into the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence; a visible light camera used for imaging the visible light from the second dichroic mirror; and a near-infrared camera used for imaging the near-infrared fluorescence from the second dichroic mirror.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The light source comprises a focusing lens located on the light-emitting side of the first dichroic mirror and used for guiding the light beams from the first dichroic mirror to an optical fiber and then guiding the light beams through the optical fiber to the endoscope.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The endoscope comprises an objective lens group and a relay lens group, the objective lens group being used for collecting the visible light and the near-infrared fluorescence from the target object and forming an intermediate image, and the relay lens group being used for imaging the intermediate image on the end of the endoscope close to the second dichroic mirror.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The imaging system comprises a coupling lens group used for transferring the light rays from the endoscope to the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The visible light camera and the near-infrared camera image in sequence.

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

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The imaging system comprises a first filter and a second filter, the first filter being arranged between the near-infrared camera and the second dichroic mirror and used for filtering the near-infrared fluorescence entering the near-infrared camera, and the second filter being arranged between the visible light camera and the second dichroic mirror and used for filtering the visible light entering the visible light camera.

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

9. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The imaging mode of the imaging system comprises a continuous working mode and a pulsed working mode, in the pulsed working mode, 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 in a pulse gap, and the near-infrared camera images in 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 in the same pulsed timing as the illumination light source, the excitation light source emits laser light in a pulsed gap, and the near-infrared camera images in the same pulsed timing as the excitation light source; Or, The illumination light source and the excitation light source emit illumination in a continuous manner, and the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera perform synchronous data acquisition at the same frame speed; or The excitation light source emits excitation light in a pulsed manner, and the near-infrared camera images in timing corresponding to at least one pulse of the excitation light source.

10. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein, The imaging system comprises a controller connected with the light source, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera respectively, so as to control the light source, the visible light camera and the near-infrared camera to work sequentially, and the controller is used for fusing the images collected by the visible light camera and the images collected by the near-infrared camera.

Images