Endoscopic Hyperspectral Imaging with Tool Tracking in Low Light

The patent removes complex optical components from the distal end of the endoscope and replaces them with a simpler sensor-based imaging system. The image sensor and processing electronics are extracted from the fragile optical path and placed in a more robust configuration, eliminating alignment issues while maintaining color imaging capability through digital processing rather than optical filtering.

The patent replaces mechanical/optical color separation systems with electronic/digital image processing. Instead of using physical filters, prisms, or beam splitters to separate color channels, the system uses a monochromatic sensor combined with computational algorithms to generate color images, thereby eliminating mechanical alignment requirements and improving reliability.

The patent implements a single imaging system that performs multiple functions: standard color imaging, fluorescence imaging, and spectral analysis. By using a monochromatic sensor that can detect various wavelengths and combining it with computational processing, the system achieves multi-functional diagnostic capability without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby fitting within confined spaces.

The patent merges multiple imaging modalities (color imaging, fluorescence imaging, and spectral imaging) into a single integrated sensor system. The monochromatic sensor captures data across multiple spectral ranges, and computational algorithms process this data to generate different types of diagnostic images, combining previously separate functions into one compact device.

The patent extracts the color imaging functionality from the physical pixel array by using a monochromatic sensor instead of a color sensor array. The color information is not captured at the sensor level through multiple pixel types but is instead generated computationally from spectral data, removing the area constraint imposed by traditional color filter arrays and enabling compact distal end design.

The patent changes the fundamental parameter of how color information is obtained: instead of using spatial separation of color-sensitive pixels (as in traditional color cameras), the system uses spectral separation through a monochromatic sensor that measures intensity at different wavelengths. This parameter change from spatial to spectral domain enables color imaging with a much smaller sensor area.