Rigid-Scope Optical Separation for High-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic imaging systems face challenges in achieving high resolution and reliability while simultaneously capturing visible light and near-infrared fluorescence images, due to issues such as chromatic aberration, misalignment, and increased size, which can compromise surgical accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A rigid-scope optical system with a color-separation-prism optical system using a dichroic film to separate optical paths for visible light and near-infrared wavelengths, combined with an image-formation optical system that satisfies the condition Fb/f > 0.72, ensuring proper alignment and high resolution through careful lens design and material selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a visible light RGB sensor with band-pass filter is used for time division imaging, then imaging in both visible light and near-infrared bands is achieved, but chromatic aberration causes near-infrared image blur and resolution decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging system into separate optical paths for visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, each with dedicated imaging devices. This segmentation allows each optical path to be optimized for its specific wavelength band, eliminating chromatic aberration issues that occur when using a single sensor for both bands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a beam splitter as an intermediary component that separates the incoming light into visible light and near-infrared fluorescence components. This intermediary enables the simultaneous directing of different wavelength bands to their respective imaging devices without interference or chromatic aberration.
2Productivity
If time division method with strict switching control is used, then simultaneous display of visible light and near-infrared images is achieved, but auto-focus cannot be performed on each frame and one wavelength band always has poor resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses separate imaging devices for visible light and near-infrared fluorescence, allowing each device to continuously capture high-resolution images in its optimized wavelength band without switching. This eliminates the resolution degradation that occurs in time division methods where one band always has poor resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple imaging devices into a single integrated system that simultaneously captures both visible light and near-infrared fluorescence. This merging allows both imaging functions to operate concurrently at full resolution, achieving both high productivity and high precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If lens group specialized for visible light band is used, then visible light imaging is optimized, but near-infrared wavelength band image becomes blurred due to chromatic aberration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates separate optical paths with dedicated imaging devices for visible light and near-infrared fluorescence. This segmentation allows each optical path to use lens groups optimized for its specific wavelength band, eliminating chromatic aberration and enabling both visible light and near-infrared imaging to achieve high quality.
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 achieves high-resolution, 4K or higher image capture in both visible light and near-infrared bands, reducing apparatus size and ensuring reliability for medical applications, thus enhancing surgical accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a color-separation-prism optical system having a dichroic film that separates an optical path of light to be imaged by the image-formation optical system into an optical path of a visible light wavelength band and an optical path of a fluorescence wavelength band
Implementation Method 2
a picture image of the near-infrared wavelength band inevitably becomes blurred due to chromatic aberration
Implementation Method 3
surgery using an ICG (indocyanine green) reagent, which emits fluorescence having a wavelength of 830 to 840 nm by being irradiated with near-infrared excitation light having a wavelength of around 800 nm
Data Source
AI summary
A rigid-scope optical system includes: an image-formation optical system that causes an image in each of wavelength bands to be formed in a predetermined imaging device, the wavelength bands including a fluorescence wavelength band and a visible light wavelength band; and a color-separation-prism optical system having a dichroic film that separates an optical path of light to be imaged into an optical path of the visible light wavelength band and an optical path of the fluorescence wavelength band, in which the image-formation optical system causes the respective images to be formed in a fluorescence imaging device and a visible light imaging device, the fluorescence imaging device and the visible light imaging device being disposed to cause an amount of misalignment to correspond to a difference between an optical path length of fluorescence and an optical path length of visible light.