Surgery – Endoscope – Having imaging and illumination means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2001-10-23
Leubecker, John P. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
Having imaging and illumination means
C600S178000, C385S117000, C362S574000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306083
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present application describes an integrated illumination and imaging system. In one form, these concepts are particularly adapted for use with an endoscope which has the capacity to illuminate a site of investigation and transmit an image of that site by an-image carrying transmission medium.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Micro invasive surgery has a goal of minimizing the amount of damage caused during surgery. Some surgical procedures, for example, can be obviated by using an endoscope through a small incision. The size of the incision, therefore, depends on the size of the endoscope. One important feature of an endoscope, therefore, is its size. Since many endoscopes require a separate light guide, this increases the size of the endoscope.
Current endoscopes often use some type of illumination bundles or light guides to couple light to a site of viewing. The site of viewing is then imaged by appropriate receiving of the coupled light that is reflected by the area of the viewing site.
The present application describes a system that eliminates the need for a separate light guide and thereby reduces the requisite, probe dimensions for a desired image size. Like current endoscopes, endoscopes using this new technique are safe to introduce into the human body for use in minimally invasive surgery. One application of this device is in the area of root canal procedures in dentistry, although this system could similarly be used in other kinds of surgery.
International Patent Application No. WO 91/15793, by Acosta, et al., discloses an endoscope in which light is transmitted to and from an anatomical site. One embodiment of the Acosta, et al. endoscope includes a plastic optical fiber assembly in which light is transmitted to the distal end of the endoscope along the periphery of the fiber assembly itself. Imaging light is transmitted back to the proximal end through a central multi-fiber bundle.
Another embodiment of the Acosta, et al. application discloses a plastic optical fiber assembly in which illuminating light is directed through a predetermined portion of the multi-fiber bundle. The balance of the bundle is.dedicated to transmitting imaging light.
An alternative embodiment of the Acosta, et al. Application described an endoscope in which a beam splitter directs light across the entire face of the multi-fiber bundle. The returning imaging light is also transmitted through the entire crosssectional area of the bundle through the beam splitter to a viewing portion of the endoscope, which is proximal to the beam splitter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventors recognized a need for an illumination and imaging device which does not require a predetermined subset of fibers to be dedicated to transmitting either illuminating or imaging light. There is a further need for a self-filtering illumination and imaging device in which variable and dynamically changing portions of the multi-fiber bundle transmit either illuminating or imaging light.
An illuminating and imaging system of this system enables alternate functions of illuminating and imaging transmissions to be separately applied to non-dedicated, dynamically alterable subsets of the multi-fiber image bundle;
will function using any type of image carrying transmission medium with partitioned or pixeled capability;
enables all fibers of a multi-fiber image bundle to serve in either illumination or image transmission;
needs no separator or additional cladding between fiber portions of the image bundle;
non-simultaneously uses all portions of a fiber optic bundle for both illumination and image transmission; and
functions as a self-filtering system due to the placement of the light emitting element with respect to the fibers which are transmitting illuminating light, thereby eliminating a sensation of glare when the image is viewed or recorded.
Main advantages to this system over those proposed previously include:
1. Removal of light guides to make the bundles smaller and therefore less invasive;
2. Reduction of the complexity of a given endoscope, which reduces the difficulty and the cost of its manufacture; and
3. Removal of the light guides allows the entirety of an endoscope's cross sectional area to be devoted to the image bundle. Therefore, an endoscope operating by means of this proposed system can produce a higher resolution image than conventional endoscopes of equal cross-sectional area.
We have considered multiple methods of implementing this dual function bundle. They include the following:
1. Stationary Light Channeling
Channeling Above Bundle
2. Stationary Light Channeling
Channeling Within Bundle
3. Oscillating Light Channeling
4. Rotary Light Channeling
Rotation on Axis with Bundle
Light Sources Stationary
5. Rotary Light Channeling
Rotation on Axis with Bundle
Light Sources Rotate with Channeling Devices
6. Rotary Light Channeling
Rotation on a Parallel Axis with Bundle Axis
Light Sources Stationary
7. Cantilever Beam
Bending within the illumination plane
Light Source(s) Stationary
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Bonne Ulrich A.
Erdman Arthur G.
Holroyd James A. J.
Jeffrey David H.
Wulfman David R.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Leubecker John P.
Micro Medical Devices, Inc.
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