Disclosure of Invention
The application mainly provides a blood vessel endoscopic imaging device to solve the problem that the blood vessel endoscopic imaging device has an imaging blind area.
In order to solve the technical problem, the application adopts a technical scheme that: provided is a vascular endoscopic imaging device. The intravascular endoscopic imaging device comprises: the side wall of the endoscopic sleeve is provided with a detection window; the reflecting element is arranged in the endoscopic sleeve and used for reflecting the laser and emitting the laser out of the detection window; the ultrasonic transducers are arranged in the endoscope sleeve, the detection surfaces of the ultrasonic transducers are arranged towards the detection window, the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces are arranged in an included angle, and the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces are at least partially overlapped with the reflection light path of the reflection element.
In some embodiments, the detection normal of each of the detection surfaces intersects at the same point on the reflected light path of the reflective element.
In some embodiments, the detection normal of each of the detection faces intersects at a focal point on the reflected light path of the reflective element.
In some embodiments, the plurality of ultrasound transducers comprises a first ultrasound transducer and a second ultrasound transducer, the first and second ultrasound transducers being disposed side-by-side and on opposite sides of an axis of the endoscopic cannula.
In some embodiments, the reflecting element has a reflecting surface, the first and second ultrasonic transducers are disposed on a side of the reflecting element facing away from the reflecting surface, and the first and second ultrasonic transducers are symmetrically disposed along an axis of the endoscopic cannula, and detection normals of the first and second ultrasonic transducers are perpendicular to the axis of the endoscopic cannula.
In some embodiments, the plurality of ultrasound transducers further comprises a third ultrasound transducer disposed along the axis of the endoscopic cannula and located on a side of the first and second ultrasound transducers facing away from the reflective element.
In some embodiments, the plurality of ultrasound transducers includes a first and a second ultrasound transducer distributed along the axis of the endoscopic cannula and located on either side of the reflective element, respectively, the reflected light path passing between the first and second ultrasound transducers.
In some embodiments, the reflective element has a reflective surface, the plurality of ultrasound transducers comprises a first ultrasound transducer and a second ultrasound transducer distributed along the axis of the endoscopic cannula, the first ultrasound transducer is located on a side of the reflective element facing away from the reflective surface, the second ultrasound transducer is located above the reflective element, and the reflected light path passes through the second ultrasound transducer.
In some embodiments, the intravascular endoscopic imaging device further comprises a focusing element, an optical fiber, a plurality of signal wires, and a single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, the focusing element being disposed within the endoscopic cannula and configured to emit the collected laser light to the reflecting element; one end of the optical fiber is connected to the focusing element, the other end of the optical fiber is connected to the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are connected with the plurality of signal conducting wires in a one-to-one correspondence mode, and the plurality of signal conducting wires are connected to the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring.
In some embodiments, the intravascular endoscopic imaging device further comprises a torsion coil, a laser light source, an optical path component, a computer, a time delay circuit, an ultrasonic signal transceiver and a scanning driving mechanism;
one end of the torsion coil is connected to the endoscopic sleeve, the other end of the torsion coil is connected to the scanning driving mechanism, and the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring is arranged on the scanning driving mechanism;
the laser light emitted by the laser light source sequentially passes through the light path component, the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, the optical fiber and the focusing element, and the laser light is incident to the light pipe wall to excite the photoacoustic signal;
the synchronous trigger signal emitted by the laser light source enters the ultrasonic signal transceiver after passing through the delay circuit, and the ultrasonic signal transceiver controls the ultrasonic transducer to receive the photoacoustic signal according to the synchronous trigger signal;
and the computer receives the photoacoustic signals through the ultrasonic signal transceiver and carries out three-dimensional reconstruction according to the photoacoustic signals.
The beneficial effect of this application is: in contrast to the state of the art, the present application discloses an intravascular imaging device. This application is through setting up a plurality of ultrasonic transducer, each ultrasonic transducer's detection normal is the contained angle setting, and the detection normal of each detection face all coincides with reflecting element's reflection light path at least part, and then the endoscopic imaging device of blood vessel that this application provided can go from the multiple visual angle of difference to survey the optoacoustic signal, even if one of them ultrasonic transducer is located the visual field blind area of detection, remaining ultrasonic transducer can also continue to provide the optoacoustic signal that the compensation visual angle detected, thereby virtually eliminate the visual field blind area that endoscopic imaging device exists in current blood vessel, make the endoscopic imaging device of blood vessel can provide the better three-dimensional image in the human tissue of quality.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.
The terms "first", "second" and "third" in the embodiments of the present application are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first," "second," or "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the feature. In the description of the present application, "plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless explicitly specifically limited otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "include" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those steps or elements listed, but may alternatively include other steps or elements not listed, or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.
Referring to fig. 1 to 3, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an endoscopic vascular imaging device, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an endoscopic probe in the endoscopic vascular imaging device of fig. 1, and fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cross-section of the endoscopic probe of fig. 2 along an AA viewing direction.
The intravascular endoscopic imaging device 100 generally comprises a laser light source 10, an optical path component 20, a computer 30, a time delay circuit 40, an ultrasonic signal transceiver 50, a scanning driving mechanism 60 and an endoscopic probe 70.
The laser light source 10 is a tunable pulse laser, and is configured to provide a light source to the endoscopic probe 70, and output a synchronous trigger signal (electrical pulse) to the computer 30 and the delay circuit 40.
The laser emitted by the laser source 10 passes through the optical path component 20, the optical path component 20 is used for filtering and beam shaping the laser, the optical path component 20 includes a series of optical elements of filtering and beam shaping such as a diaphragm, an attenuation sheet, a lens and a spectroscope, and the laser is focused into an optical fiber in the endoscopic probe 70 after being shaped.
The computer 30 uses the electric pulse signal emitted by the laser light source as a synchronous trigger signal, thereby realizing the synchronous control of the scanning driving mechanism 60 to collect the photoacoustic signal in the tissue.
The scanning drive mechanism 60 performs 360-degree rotation and axial movement scanning under the control of the computer 30, and is used to realize three-dimensional scanning of the endoscopic probe 70. Under the drive of the scanning drive mechanism 60, the endoscopic probe 70 can move in the tissue such as blood vessel, and is controlled to rotate to perform 360-degree scanning and photoacoustic signal acquisition synchronous acquisition.
Specifically, the scanning driving mechanism 60 includes an axial displacement platform, an axial motor, a bearing platform and a rotating motor, the bearing platform is disposed on the axial displacement platform, the axial motor drives the bearing platform to move axially along the axial displacement platform, the torsion coil 78 of the endoscopic probe 70 is connected to the bearing platform, and the rotating motor is used for driving the torsion coil 78 to rotate.
The ultrasonic signal transceiver 50 is used for transmitting and receiving corresponding ultrasonic signals to the endoscopic probe 70 and receiving photoacoustic signals generated in tissues such as blood vessels.
The delay circuit 40 is used for providing a delay pulse signal for the ultrasonic signal transceiver to transmit ultrasonic waves, and ensures that the photoacoustic signal and the ultrasonic signal generated by the blood vessel wall are not overlapped. Due to the time delay of the photoacoustic signal and the ultrasonic signal, the photoacoustic signal and the ultrasonic signal collected by the computer 30 can be effectively separated.
The endoscopic probe 70 can be used to enter into the blood vessel, alimentary canal or abdominal cavity of the human body, and collect photoacoustic signals in the tissue to realize photoacoustic imaging.
The laser light source 10 is connected with the computer 30 and the delay circuit 40 in a communication manner, the computer 30 is also connected with the scanning driving mechanism 60 and the ultrasonic signal transceiver 50 in a communication manner, the ultrasonic signal transceiver 50 is also connected with the delay circuit 40 and the endoscopic probe 70 in a communication manner, and the laser light emitted by the laser light source 10 enters the optical fiber of the endoscopic probe 70 connected with the scanning driving mechanism 60 through the optical path assembly 20.
The laser light emitted from the laser light source 10 is guided into the endoscopic probe 70 through the optical path module 20 and the scanning driving mechanism 60 in sequence, and the endoscopic probe 70 emits the laser light onto the tissue such as the blood vessel wall to excite the photoacoustic signal, and the photoacoustic signal is received by the ultrasonic transducer 73 of the endoscopic probe 70.
The synchronous trigger signal emitted by the laser source 10 enters the ultrasonic signal transceiver 50 after passing through the delay circuit 40, and the ultrasonic signal transceiver 50 controls the ultrasonic transducer 73 of the endoscopic probe 70 to receive the photoacoustic signal according to the synchronous trigger signal. Specifically, the ultrasound transducer 73 in the endoscopic probe 70 emits an ultrasound signal to the blood vessel wall under the control of the ultrasound transceiver 50, and then receives a photoacoustic signal generated by the excitation of the blood vessel wall.
The computer 30 receives photoacoustic signals from the ultrasonic transducer of the endoscopic probe 70 via the ultrasonic signal transceiver 50, and performs three-dimensional reconstruction based on the photoacoustic signals to generate a three-dimensional image and a cross-sectional image of the inside of a tissue such as a blood vessel.
Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the endoscopic probe 70 includes an endoscopic sleeve 71, a reflecting element 72, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73, a focusing element 74, an optical fiber 75, a plurality of signal conductors 76, a single optical multi-electrical slip ring (not shown), and a torsion coil 78.
Wherein, the side wall of the endoscopic sleeve 71 is provided with a detection window 710; the reflecting element 72 is arranged in the endoscopic sleeve 71 and used for reflecting laser and emitting the laser from the detection window 710; the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 are disposed in the endoscope sleeve 71, the detection surfaces 730 of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 are all disposed toward the detection window 710, the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces 730 are disposed at an included angle, and the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces 730 are all at least partially overlapped with the reflection light path of the reflection element 72.
Optionally, the detection normal of each detection surface 730 intersects the reflection light path of the reflection element 72; alternatively, the normal detection line of one of the detection surfaces 730 coincides with the reflection light path of the reflection element 72, and the normal detection lines of the remaining detection surfaces 730 intersect the reflection light path of the reflection element 72. This is not a particular limitation of the present application.
Wherein, the detection normal is perpendicular to the detection surface 730 and is in the same direction as the detection direction of the detection surface 730; the reflected light path is a light path in which the reflecting element 72 reflects the laser light. The normal lines of the detection planes 730 are arranged at an angle, so that the detection planes 730 are all out of plane with each other, so that the ultrasonic transducers 73 can detect photoacoustic signals from different directions.
In this embodiment, the normal line of each detection surface 730 intersects the reflection optical path of the reflection element 72, so as to ensure that the ultrasonic transducer 73 can well receive the photoacoustic signal excited by the tissue such as the blood vessel wall irradiated by the laser.
The plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 may be two, three, or four ultrasonic transducers 73, and the present embodiment is not particularly limited thereto.
The ultrasonic transducer in the existing blood vessel endoscopic imaging device has a single detection direction, and in human tissues, the nourishing blood vessels in plaques often grow inwards from adventitia, so that the growth direction of the nourishing blood vessels is vertical or nearly vertical to the detection surface of the ultrasonic transducer in the existing blood vessel endoscopic imaging device, and the specific physiological phenomenon causes a visual field blind area of intravascular imaging, so that the existing blood vessel endoscopic imaging device is difficult to obtain a three-dimensional image of the nourishing blood vessels.
By arranging the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73, the detection normal lines of the ultrasonic transducers 73 are arranged at included angles, and the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces 730 are at least partially overlapped with the reflection light path of the reflection element 72, so that the blood vessel endoscopic imaging device 100 provided by the application can detect photoacoustic signals from different angles, and even if one of the ultrasonic transducers 73 is positioned in a detected visual field blind area, the rest of the ultrasonic transducers 73 can continue to provide photoacoustic signals detected by a compensation visual field, thereby substantially eliminating the visual field blind area existing in the existing blood vessel endoscopic imaging device, and enabling the blood vessel endoscopic imaging device 100 to provide a three-dimensional image in human tissues with better quality.
In this embodiment, the detection normal lines of the detection surfaces 730 intersect at the same point on the reflection optical path of the reflection element 72, so that the intravascular endoscopic imaging device 100 can enhance the detection of photoacoustic signals at the same position from different viewing angles, which is beneficial to improving the resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio of the imaged image.
Furthermore, the detection normal of each detection surface 730 intersects with the focal point on the reflection light path of the reflection element 72, the focal point is the energy gathering point of the reflection light path, the energy density of the focal point is high, the photoacoustic signal excited on tissues such as blood vessels is strong, each ultrasonic transducer 73 can detect the photoacoustic signal with higher strength and higher quality, and the image resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio after imaging can be further improved.
In other embodiments, the detection normal of each detection surface 730 may intersect with different positions of the reflection light path to obtain photoacoustic signals at different viewing angles and different light path positions, so that mutual compensation may be performed according to the obtained multiple photoacoustic signals, which is beneficial to eliminating a blind area of a viewing field and obtaining a complete and good three-dimensional image in human tissue.
The focusing element 74 is provided in the endoscope sleeve 71 and emits the collected laser light to the reflecting element 72; one end of the optical fiber 75 is connected to the focusing element 74, the other end of the optical fiber 75 is connected to the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 are correspondingly connected to the plurality of signal conductors 76 one by one, the plurality of signal conductors 76 are also connected to the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, and the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring is arranged on the scanning driving mechanism 60; one end of the torsion coil 78 is connected to the endoscope sheath 71, the other end of the torsion coil 78 is connected to the stage of the scanning drive mechanism 60, and the optical fiber 75 and the plurality of signal conductors 76 are inserted into the torsion coil 78.
The endoscope sleeve 71 is generally a tubular material with an outer diameter of less than 1mm, and the endoscope sleeve 71 is used for protecting and fixing the reflecting element 72, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73, the focusing element 74 and the like, and also ensures that the focusing element 74 and the reflecting element 72 are coaxially arranged.
The focusing element 74 may be an optical element having a focusing function, such as a self-focusing lens or a ball lens, and the focusing element 74 may reduce a divergence angle of the laser light and increase a light flux density.
The reflecting element 72 may be a triangular prism, a plane mirror, or the like, for deflecting the optical path of the laser light emitted through the focusing element 74.
The plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 detect photoacoustic signals of the microvasculature from respective different directions. The optical fiber 75 is used to transmit laser light, which is focused by the focusing element 74 and reflected to the detection area by the reflecting element 72. A signal conductor 76 is coupled to the ultrasound transducer 73 for conveying photoacoustic signals. The torsion coil 78 is connected to the endoscope sheath 71 for transmitting torque to drive the detection window 710 in rotation or displacement.
Therefore, the laser emitted from the laser source 10 sequentially passes through the optical path assembly 20, the single-optical multi-electrical slip ring, the optical fiber 75 and the focusing element 74, and the laser is reflected by the reflecting element 72 and then enters the blood vessel wall to excite the photoacoustic signal.
It should be noted that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 are connected to a plurality of signal conductors 76 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the optical fibers 75 are connected to a single optical multi-electrical slip ring together with the plurality of signal conductors 76. The single optical multi-electrical slip ring comprises a single optical fiber interface and a plurality of signal conductor interfaces, which can be connected with a corresponding single optical fiber 75 and a plurality of signal conductors 76 to ensure the correct transmission of laser and photoacoustic signals.
The ultrasonic transducers 73 are connected with the corresponding signal wires 76, so that the situation that when the photoacoustic signals are received by the ultrasonic transducers 73, the photoacoustic signals are interfered and mutually offset due to the fact that the same signal wire 76 is shared, and detection at different viewing angles cannot be formed is avoided. The present application thus ensures that each detected photoacoustic signal remains intact by placing an ultrasound transducer 73 in communication with a corresponding signal conductor 76, and allows multiple ultrasound transducers 73 to form detections of different viewing angles.
In this embodiment, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 include a first ultrasonic transducer 731 and a second ultrasonic transducer 732, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are disposed side by side and located on two sides of the axis of the endoscopic cannula 71, detection normals of the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are disposed at an included angle, and each detection normal intersects with a focal point on a reflection optical path of the reflection element 72, so that the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 can perform mutual view angle compensation to eliminate a blind area of a field of view.
The reflecting element 72 has a reflecting surface 720, the reflecting surface 720 faces the focusing element 74, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are arranged on the side of the reflecting element 72 facing away from the reflecting surface 720, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are symmetrically arranged along the axis of the endoscopic sleeve 71, and the detection normal lines of the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are perpendicular to the axis of the endoscopic sleeve 71, so that the reflecting element 72 and the ultrasonic transducer 73 can be conveniently installed.
In other embodiments, the first and second ultrasonic transducers 731, 732 may also be disposed between the reflecting element 72 and the focusing element 74, side-by-side and on either side of the axis of the endoscopic cannula 71.
Further, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 further includes a third ultrasonic transducer 733, the third ultrasonic transducer 733 is disposed along the axis of the endoscopic casing 71, and the third ultrasonic transducer 733 is located on a side of the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 facing away from the reflecting element 72, each detection normal line is disposed at an included angle, and each detection normal line intersects at a focal point on a reflection light path of the reflecting element 72, so that the first ultrasonic transducer 731, the second ultrasonic transducer 732, and the third ultrasonic transducer 733 form a triangular array to detect photoacoustic signals from three directions, thereby further enhancing a reinforcing effect of each ultrasonic transducer 73.
In another embodiment, referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a schematic layout diagram of an ultrasound transducer 73 and a reflecting element 72 in the intravascular endoscopic imaging device 100 of fig. 1. Specifically, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 includes a first ultrasonic transducer 731 and a second ultrasonic transducer 732, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are distributed along the axis of the endoscopic cannula 71, and the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are respectively located on two sides of the reflecting element 72, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 is located on the side of the reflecting element 72 facing away from the reflecting surface 720, the second ultrasonic transducer 732 is located on the side of the reflecting surface 720, the reflection light path passes through between the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732, and the detection normal line of each detection surface 730 intersects with the reflection light path of the reflecting element 72.
In other embodiments, referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic layout diagram of an ultrasonic transducer 73 and a reflecting element 72 in the intravascular endoscopic imaging device of fig. 1. Specifically, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 73 includes a first ultrasonic transducer 731 and a second ultrasonic transducer 732, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 and the second ultrasonic transducer 732 are distributed along the axis of the endoscopic cannula 71, the first ultrasonic transducer 731 is located on the side of the reflecting element 72 facing away from the reflecting surface 720, the second ultrasonic transducer 732 is located above the reflecting element 72, and the reflected light path passes through the second ultrasonic transducer 732, so that the detection normal of the second ultrasonic transducer 732 coincides with the reflected light path of the reflecting element 72, and the detection normal of the first ultrasonic transducer 731 intersects with the reflected light path of the reflecting element 72.
Alternatively, the second ultrasonic transducer 732 may be a transparent ultrasonic transducer; alternatively, the second ultrasonic transducer 732 is a hollow ultrasonic transducer, that is, an opening is formed in the middle of the second ultrasonic transducer 732 so that the reflected light path passes through the opening.
In contrast to the state of the art, the present application discloses an intravascular imaging device. This application is through setting up a plurality of ultrasonic transducer, each ultrasonic transducer's detection normal is the contained angle setting, and the detection normal of each detection face all coincides with reflecting element's reflection light path at least part, and then the endoscopic imaging device of blood vessel that this application provided can go from the multiple visual angle of difference to survey the optoacoustic signal, even if one of them ultrasonic transducer is located the visual field blind area of detection, remaining ultrasonic transducer can also continue to provide the optoacoustic signal that the compensation visual angle detected, thereby virtually eliminate the visual field blind area that endoscopic imaging device exists in current blood vessel, make the endoscopic imaging device of blood vessel can provide the better three-dimensional image in the human tissue of quality.
The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all modifications of equivalent structures and equivalent processes, which are made by the contents of the specification and the drawings, or which are directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are intended to be included within the scope of the present application.