Fluorescence Imaging System Blending Visible and Non-Visible Light Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluorescence imaging systems face challenges in effectively combining visible and non-visible light data, often resulting in the non-visible light component appearing too pronounced, too light, too diffuse, or too discolored, which affects the quality of the enhanced image overlay in medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced fluorescence imaging system that uses a combination of visible and non-visible light data, processed through a camera control unit with image sensors and data processing algorithms to weight and blend the data, ensuring the non-visible light indication is not overly pronounced, light, diffuse, or discolored, by employing a dichroic prism and separate image sensors for visible and non-visible light, and using color filter arrays and weighting functions to generate enhanced RGB values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visible and non-visible light data are combined to create enhanced image overlay, then the visualization of fluorescent markers is improved, but the non-visible light component may appear too pronounced, too light, too diffuse, or too discolored
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different weighting factors to the visible light image data and non-visible light image data when combining them. By adjusting these weighting parameters, the system controls the prominence, brightness, diffusion, and color characteristics of the non-visible light component in the final enhanced image overlay, preventing it from appearing too pronounced, too light, too diffuse, or too discolored
Solution Approach 2:
The camera control unit processes the image data and adjusts the weighting factors based on the characteristics of the captured images. This feedback mechanism allows the system to optimize the blend of visible and non-visible light data in real-time, ensuring the non-visible light component is represented accurately without visual artifacts
2Measurement precision
If separate image sensors are used for visible and non-visible light, then the capture of fluorescent markers is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system is divided into separate functional components: a first image sensor dedicated to capturing visible light image data and a second image sensor dedicated to capturing non-visible light image data. This segmentation allows each sensor to be optimized for its specific wavelength range, improving the detection of fluorescent markers while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The camera control unit serves multiple functions by processing both visible light and non-visible light image data, applying weighting factors, and generating enhanced image overlays. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate processing systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system produces an enhanced image frame that accurately overlays non-visible light data without excessive prominence, ensuring clarity and accuracy in medical imaging, thereby improving the visualization of fluorescent markers during procedures.
Implementation Method 1
employing a dichroic prism and separate image sensors for visible and non-visible light
Implementation Method 2
the non-visible light is used to irradiate a fluorescent substance (e.g., dye) administered to a patient, which in turn causes the fluorescent substance to emit fluorescence light
Data Source
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AI summary
An enhanced fluorescence imaging system includes a light source for emitting non-visible and visible light and an image sensor for capturing non-visible and visible light image data. Data processing hardware performs operations that include determining a non-visible value associated with an amount of non-visible light captured by the image sensor and applying a color map to each non-visible value to generate non-visible light selected color values. The operations also include weighting a visible light chroma value with a non-visible chroma value to generate weighted chroma values and combining luma values of each pixel of the visible light image data to the weighted chroma values. The operations also include generating RGB values based on the luma values of the visible light image data and the weighted chroma values and transmitting the RGB values to the display.