CN118557127B

CN118557127B - Endoscopic device

Info

Publication number: CN118557127B
Application number: CN202411061543.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王森豪; 蔡丽晶; 谭钧文
Original assignee: Sonoscape Medical Corp
Current assignee: Sonoscape Medical Corp
Priority date: 2024-08-05
Filing date: 2024-08-05
Publication date: 2025-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2044-08-05
Also published as: CN118557127A

Abstract

The invention provides an endoscope device which comprises an illumination part for emitting illumination light, an imaging part for collecting light returned from a target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light and forming an initial image signal, an image output part for outputting a first image signal and a second image signal based on the initial image signal, wherein the first image signal is a response signal corresponding to first frequency band light, the second image signal is a response signal corresponding to second frequency band light, the peak wavelength of the first frequency band light is in a wave band range of 500-550 nm, the peak wavelength of the second frequency band light is in a wave band range of 550-600 nm, and a display part for generating an endoscope image according to the first image signal and the second image signal and displaying the endoscope image, wherein the frequency band light corresponding to each image signal for generating the endoscope image is in the wave band range of 450nm or above. The endoscope device can improve the convenience of minimally invasive treatment under the endoscope, and reduce the possibility of injuring the submucosal large blood vessel by mistake so as to cause difficult healing of wounds.

Description

Endoscope apparatus

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical equipment, in particular to an endoscope device.

Background

The endoscope is a medical electronic optical instrument integrating light, mechanical, electric and other technologies, and the endoscope is used for illuminating and imaging the internal cavity of the body, so that the image of the internal cavity of the body can be output on a display for observation. With the development of endoscope technology, it increasingly helps people to make medical diagnoses. Early discovery and early diagnosis are key to improving the clinical treatment effect of cancer. For this reason, various imaging modes that can highlight superficial fine structures and mucosal superficial vascular morphology have been proposed in the related art to assist doctors in rapidly identifying early lesions.

With the increasing popularity of endoscopic devices, methods for minimally invasive endoscopic treatment of diseased tissue by extending medical instruments from the jaws of an endoscope are also becoming increasingly popular, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (EMR), endoscopic submucosal total resection (ESD), endoscopic total resection (EFTR), and the like.

However, in practical applications, the endoscopic images obtained by the endoscopic device are mainly focused on enhanced imaging of superficial fine vascular structures. In the course of performing minimally invasive endoscopic treatment, when a doctor performs a treatment operation (e.g., resecting a lesion) with reference to the above-described endoscopic image, a situation may occur in which a large submucosal vessel is accidentally injured, resulting in a difficult healing of the wound.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endoscope apparatus including:

an illumination section for emitting illumination light to a target tissue;

an imaging unit configured to collect light returned from the target tissue after irradiation with the illumination light and form an initial image signal;

An image output unit configured to output a first image signal and a second image signal based on the initial image signal, wherein the first image signal is a response signal corresponding to first-band light, the second image signal is a response signal corresponding to second-band light, a peak wavelength of the first-band light is within a wavelength band range of 500nm to 550nm, and a peak wavelength of the second-band light is within a wavelength band range of 550nm to 600 nm;

And a display unit configured to generate an endoscopic image from the first image signal and the second image signal, and to display the endoscopic image, wherein each of the image signals for generating the endoscopic image has a band light within a band range of 450nm or more.

Illustratively, the first band of light has a band range greater than or equal to 30nm and/or the second band of light has a band range greater than or equal to 30nm.

Illustratively, the first band light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 500-550 nm, and the second band light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 550-600 nm.

Illustratively, the half-peak width of the first band light and the second band light is between 25nm and 50nm.

Illustratively, the image output section is further configured to output a third image signal based on the initial image signal, the third image signal being a response signal corresponding to third-band light, the third-band light having a peak wavelength greater than 600 nm;

The display unit is configured to generate the endoscopic image based on the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal.

By way of example only, and in an illustrative,

The image pickup part comprises a first signal channel and a second signal channel, wherein the first signal channel and the second signal channel are respectively used for collecting light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light and forming a first initial image signal and a second initial image signal;

The system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to a band in which a first target frequency band light is located, and the system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers a band in which a second target frequency band light is located, wherein the first target frequency band light is one of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light, and the second target frequency band light is the other of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light;

The image output unit outputs the first initial image signal as a response signal corresponding to the first target band light from among the first image signal and the second image signal, and outputs a response signal corresponding to the second target band light from among the first image signal and the second image signal based on the second initial image signal.

Illustratively, the illumination light includes green broadband light having spectral characteristics of being cut off in a band range of 450nm or less, having a peak wavelength in a band range of 500nm to 600nm, and having a continuous spectrum in a band range of 500nm to 600 nm;

The image pickup part comprises a color image sensor with a Bayer filter, wherein a blue channel, a green channel and a red channel of the color image sensor respectively collect light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light to form a blue initial image signal, a green initial image signal and a red initial image signal;

The image output section is configured to output the blue initial image signal as the first image signal and output the second image signal in accordance with the green initial image signal.

Illustratively, the illumination light further includes a red broadband light having spectral characteristics of having a peak wavelength in a band range of 600nm to 650nm and having a continuous spectrum in a band range of 600nm to 650 nm;

the image output part is also used for outputting a third image signal according to the red initial image signal;

The display unit is specifically configured to generate an endoscopic image from the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal, and display the endoscopic image.

By way of example only, and in an illustrative,

The illumination part comprises a light combination component and at least two light sources, and the light emitted by the at least two light sources is combined by the light combination component to form illumination light;

Or alternatively

The illumination part comprises a white light source and one or more filter plates, and white light emitted by the white light source passes through the one or more filter plates to form illumination light.

Illustratively, the illumination light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 500nm to 600 nm;

The first signal channel is provided with a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the first frequency band light and is used for collecting the light returned from the target tissue and positioned in the wave band range of the first frequency band light so as to form the first initial image signal;

the second signal channel is provided with a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the second frequency band light and is used for collecting the light returned from the target tissue and positioned in the range of the wave band of the second frequency band light so as to form the second initial image signal;

The image output section is configured to output the first initial image signal as the first image signal and output the second initial image signal as the second image signal.

Illustratively, the illumination light includes the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light, and the illumination section is configured to time-divisionally emit the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light;

Wherein, when the illumination section emits the first frequency band light, the image pickup section is configured to collect light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated with the first frequency band light, and form a fourth initial image signal; the imaging section is configured to collect light returned from the target tissue after irradiation with the second-band light and form a fifth initial image signal when the illumination section emits the second-band light;

The image output section is configured to output the fourth initial image signal as the first image signal and output the fifth initial image signal as the second image signal.

In the above endoscope apparatus, a first image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 500nm to 550nm and a second image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 550nm to 600nm are respectively determined from light returned from a target tissue after irradiation with illumination light, and band light corresponding to each image signal for generating an endoscope image is made to be within a wavelength band range of 450nm or more, and then the endoscope image is generated from the first image signal and the second image signal. The endoscope image generated by the endoscope device can avoid information interference of superficial mucosa microvasculature, accurately acquire information of middle-layer and deep biological tissues, is beneficial to judging positions of the middle-layer and deep blood vessels by medical staff, and is further beneficial to executing treatment operation according to the information.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the present invention, and is intended to be implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present invention in order that the same may be more clearly understood and to make the same and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more readily apparent.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the invention and together with the embodiments of the invention, and not constitute a limitation to the invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts or steps.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an endoscopic device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the spectral absorption characteristics of blood according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing spectral response sensitivity curves of respective signal channels of an image pickup section according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of an endoscopic device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a spectrum of combined illumination light according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a system spectral response curve of each signal channel of an image capturing section according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a green channel desired system spectral response curve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of an illumination light spectrum according to yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the spectral response curves of the system of the respective signal channels of the camera section according to one embodiment of the present invention, and

Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a green channel desired system spectral response curve according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention and not all embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the example embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the invention described in the present application, all other embodiments that a person skilled in the art would have without inventive effort shall fall within the scope of the invention.

In order to achieve early discovery and early diagnosis of various cancers, current endoscopic imaging is mainly focused on the enhancement imaging of superficial microstructures and blood vessels. However, in the course of performing minimally invasive endoscopic treatment, when a doctor performs a treatment operation (e.g., resecting a lesion) with reference to the above-mentioned endoscopic image, there is a possibility that a large submucosal vessel is accidentally injured, resulting in a difficult healing of the wound. Thus, existing endoscopic imaging is not suitable for performing minimally invasive endoscopic treatment.

In this regard, the present inventors have found that the main reason for the above situation is that the area where the treatment is required is usually the area where the lesion is located, and the area where the lesion is located and the peripheral area thereof usually have abundant microvascular texture information, and these microvascular texture information can block the information of the deep tissues in the area and the peripheral area thereof, so that it is difficult for a doctor to learn the information of the deep tissues in the area where the lesion is located and the peripheral area thereof. However, since a doctor cannot easily reach the deep tissue structures in the region where the lesion is located and the peripheral region thereof when performing a treatment operation such as excision, and submucosal large blood vessels are generally distributed in the tissues of the middle layer (about 2 mm) and the deep layer (about 3 mm), it is difficult for the doctor to notice the positions of the blood vessels located in the middle layer and the deep layer in the region where the lesion is located and the peripheral region thereof when performing a treatment operation such as excision with reference to the above-mentioned endoscopic images, and it is difficult to determine the depths of the large blood vessels, and thus the submucosal large blood vessels are easily injured by mistake when performing a treatment operation such as excision. While submucosal large vessels are generally thicker and relatively more difficult to stop bleeding, they tend to make the wound more difficult to heal once ruptured.

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope apparatus, which generates an endoscope image for a doctor to view according to a first image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 500nm to 550nm and a second image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 550nm to 600nm, and can highlight a position of a middle layer blood vessel through the first image signal, and highlight a position of a deep layer blood vessel through the second image signal, and meanwhile, since band light corresponding to each image signal used for generating the endoscope image for the doctor to view is located in a wavelength band range above 450nm, contrast of a shallow micro-blood vessel is greatly weakened in the generated endoscope image, so that the tone of the shallow micro-blood vessel is basically consistent with that of other tissues such as a shallow mucosa, and interference of shallow micro-blood vessel texture information in a region to be treated and a peripheral region thereof to deep layer tissue information therein can be avoided, and blood vessel structures presented in the generated endoscope image are all middle layer and/or deep layer blood vessel structures, so that a doctor can clearly determine a position of a large submucosal blood vessel in the region to be treated and a peripheral thereof, a reasonable treatment path and a planned wound caused by the large blood vessel can be avoided.

The endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an endoscopic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the endoscope apparatus may include an illumination section 100, an imaging section 200, an image output section 300, and a display section 400.

Illustratively, the illumination portion 100 is configured to emit illumination light toward a target tissue.

The target tissue may be any portion within the cavity being examined, such as the alimentary canal of the esophagus, colorectal, etc., the bladder and urethra, the nasal cavity and throat, etc. It will be appreciated that the illumination light emitted by the illumination portion 100 directly irradiates the surface layer of the target tissue, but the target tissue generally has a certain light transmittance, so that the illumination light can pass through the target tissue to irradiate a certain depth under the surface layer of the target tissue. Depending on the distance of the biological tissue from the epidermis of the target tissue, the biological tissue may be largely divided into shallow, middle, deep and deeper biological tissues. The biological tissue in the middle layer may be a biological tissue which is about 2mm below the epidermis of the biological tissue irradiated by the endoscope body during the use of the endoscope apparatus. The deep biological tissue may be a biological tissue about 3mm below the surface of the biological tissue irradiated by the endoscope body during use of the endoscope apparatus. While the biological tissue between the biological tissue of the middle layer and the biological tissue epidermis may be referred to as shallow biological tissue, and the biological tissue further from the biological tissue epidermis than the deep biological tissue may be referred to as deeper biological tissue.

The illumination light may be illumination light of a fixed spectrum or may be illumination light of an adjustable spectrum. It will be appreciated that a fixed spectrum of illumination light may be emitted by the relatively simple configuration of the illumination portion 100, thereby reducing the cost of use of the endoscope. When the illumination light is an illumination light of an adjustable spectrum, the illumination section 100 may be controlled by a control system of the endoscope to adjust the illumination light to obtain illumination light of a desired spectrum. The control system of the endoscope may be provided inside the endoscope apparatus. The illumination section 100 may include at least one light emitting source, and the illumination section 100 may determine illumination light emitted from the above-described endoscope apparatus toward the target tissue based on illumination light emitted from the at least one light emitting source. For example, when the illumination section 100 includes only a single light-emitting source, the illumination light emitted by the single light-emitting source may be directly used as the illumination light emitted by the above-described endoscope apparatus toward the target tissue. When the illumination section 100 includes a plurality of light emitting sources, the illumination section 100 may combine the illumination light emitted from the plurality of light emitting sources to obtain combined illumination light as illumination light emitted from the above-described endoscope apparatus toward the target tissue.

It will be appreciated that, after the combined irradiation light or the irradiation light emitted from the single light emitting source is obtained, the combined irradiation light or the irradiation light emitted from the single light emitting source may be subjected to spectral processing to remove the irradiation light in an unnecessary wavelength band range, and then the spectral processed irradiation light may be used as the irradiation light emitted from the endoscope apparatus to the target tissue. For example, the spectrum processing may be processing such as filtering by a filter in the illumination unit 100 to filter out the unnecessary illumination light in the optical band range.

The image pickup section 200 is configured to collect light returned from the target tissue after irradiation with the illumination light, and form an initial image signal.

When illumination light irradiates the target tissue, corresponding light is returned from the target tissue according to the spectral absorption characteristics of the target tissue and the influence of the surrounding environment. A photoelectric sensor may be provided in the image pickup section 200, which can convert a received optical signal into a corresponding electrical signal. In an embodiment of the present application, the photoelectric sensor may collect light returned from the target tissue after the illumination of the illumination light, and generate a corresponding initial image signal according to the light returned from the target tissue, where the initial image signal includes structural information of the target tissue. The photosensor may include at least one signal channel, each of which may be responsive to light within a given wavelength band and generate a corresponding initial image signal (i.e., each of which has a different spectral sensitivity response characteristic). One or more initial image signals may be formed according to the number of signal channels.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1, the endoscope apparatus may further include a control section 500, and both the illumination section and the image pickup section 200 may be connected to the control section 500. The control section 500 may control the illumination section 100 to emit illumination light to the target tissue. The control unit 500 may further control the image pickup unit 200 to collect light returned from the target tissue after the irradiation of the illumination light, and form an initial image signal.

The image output section 300 is configured to output a first image signal and a second image signal based on the initial image signal. The image output section 300 may be connected between the image pickup section 200 and the display section 400, and receives an initial image signal from the image pickup section 200 and generates a first image signal and a second image signal based on the initial image signal. Wherein the first image signal is a response signal corresponding to the first frequency band light, and the second image signal is a response signal corresponding to the second frequency band light. The peak wavelength of the first frequency band light is located in a wave band range of 500-550 nm, and the peak wavelength of the second frequency band light is located in a wave band range of 550-600 nm. The first image signal may represent information of biological tissue of the middle layer, in particular the position of the middle layer blood vessel, and the second image signal may represent information of biological tissue of the deep layer, in particular the position of the deep layer blood vessel.

The absorption characteristics of different subjects (e.g., blood, mucous membrane, etc.) in the target tissue for different spectra of illumination light are different, resulting in different optical signal characteristics for different wavelength ranges of light returning from the target tissue. The optical signal characteristics may include optical signal strength, among others. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a spectral absorption characteristic of blood according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 2, the relative absorption coefficient of blood to the illumination light with the wavelength of 400nm-450nm is high, which results in high energy loss of the illumination light with the wavelength of 400nm-450nm, so that the illumination light with the wavelength of 400nm-450nm is difficult to penetrate the biological tissue of the shallow layer and irradiate the biological tissue of the middle layer or the deep layer effectively, at this time, the image pickup part 200 may not obtain an initial image signal which more accurately represents the information of the biological tissue of the middle layer or the deep layer according to the light with the wavelength of 400nm-450nm returned from the target tissue, and the light with the wavelength of 400-450nm can significantly improve the contrast ratio of the superficial blood vessel and the peripheral tissue thereof, so that the superficial micro-blood vessel texture is more obvious, and the information of the biological tissue of the middle layer or the deep layer is blocked, thereby influencing the presentation of the information of the biological tissue of the middle layer or the deep layer contained in the endoscope image generated by the endoscope device. The relative absorption coefficient of blood for the illumination light with the wavelength of 600nm or more is low, so that the absorption of the blood for the illumination light with the wavelength of 600nm or more is less, and the reflection of the blood for the illumination light with the wavelength of 600nm or more is more, therefore, the intensity of the light signal received by the image pickup part 200 can be improved by irradiating the red light with the wavelength of 600nm or more, so that the brightness of the endoscope image can be improved. The illumination light with the wavelength of 500-550 nm can penetrate to the biological tissue (middle biological tissue) with the depth of about 2mm, so that the light which returns from the target tissue and is positioned at the wave band can reflect the information of the middle biological tissue positioned in the target tissue area. The illumination light with the wavelength of 550-600 nm can penetrate into biological tissues (deep biological tissues) with the depth of about 3mm, so that the light which returns from the target tissues and is positioned in the wave band can reflect the information of the deep biological tissues positioned in the target tissue region. And the blood has small absorption peaks in 500-550 nm and 550-600 nm, and the optical signal in the wave band returned by the blood-containing part of the tissue is weaker, so that the blood can be compared with other biological tissues, and the biological tissues taking the blood as a main body, such as blood vessels, can be highlighted.

When the peak wavelength of the first frequency band light is within the wavelength band range of 500-550 nm, the energy distribution of the first frequency band light is mainly concentrated within the wavelength band range of 500-550 nm, and the first image signal also contributes to endoscopic imaging of biological tissues of the middle layer. When the peak wavelength of the second frequency band light is within the wave band range of 550-600 nm, the energy distribution of the second frequency band light is mainly concentrated within the wave band range of 550-600 nm, and the second image signal is also helpful for the endoscopic imaging of the deep biological tissue.

Illustratively, the band range of the first band light is greater than or equal to 30nm. In other words, the difference between the wavelength of the longest light of the first-band light and the wavelength of the shortest light of the first-band light is 30nm or more, that is, the span of the band range in which the wavelength of the first-band light is located is 30mm or more. When the band range of the first-band light is too small, there is a possibility that less information is made on biological tissue of the middle layer in the first image signal. Therefore, the band range of the first band light can be larger than or equal to 30nm, so that the first image signal contains enough information of the biological tissue of the middle layer, and information omission of the biological tissue of the middle layer is reduced. Therefore, richer biological tissue information of the middle layer, such as mucosa layering, elastic fiber, micro-wounds and the like, can be provided in the endoscope image, so that a doctor can clearly determine the texture characteristics of various biological tissues positioned in the middle layer in the area to be treated and the peripheral area thereof, and the diagnosis and treatment of the focus distribution under the endoscope can be more accurately carried out.

Illustratively, the band range of the second frequency band light is greater than or equal to 30nm. In other words, the difference between the wavelength of the longest light of the second-band light and the wavelength of the shortest light of the second-band light is 30nm or more, that is, the span of the band range in which the wavelength of the second-band light is located is 30mm or more. When the band range of the second frequency band light is too small, there is a possibility that information of the deep biological tissue in the second image signal is less. Therefore, the band range of the second band light can be larger than or equal to 30nm, so that the second image signal contains enough information of deep biological tissues, and information omission of the deep biological tissues is reduced. Therefore, richer deep biological tissue information such as mucosa layering, elastic fiber, micro-wounds and the like can be provided in the endoscope image, so that a doctor can clearly determine the texture characteristics of various biological tissues positioned in the deep layer in the region to be treated and the peripheral region thereof, and the under-scope focus distribution diagnosis and treatment can be more accurately carried out.

Illustratively, the first band light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 500-550 nm and the second band light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 550-600 nm. The first frequency band light has a continuous spectrum within a wave band range of 500-550 nm, i.e. the wave band range of the first frequency band light should cover 500-550 nm, which can avoid information omission of biological tissues in the middle layer of the first image signal. For example, when the first band light is in the wavelength range of 500 to 530nm, the first image signal lacks information of light returned from the target tissue in the wavelength range of 530 to 550nm, which results in missing part of information of the biological tissue in the middle layer of the first image signal and affects the accuracy of information of the biological tissue in the middle layer of the finally generated endoscope image. Similarly, the second band light has a continuous spectrum within a band range of 550-600 nm, i.e. the band range of the second band light should cover 550-600 nm, which can avoid information omission of deep biological tissues of the second image signal. For example, when the second frequency band light is within a wavelength band range of 550-580 nm, information of light returned from the target tissue within the wavelength band range of 580 nm-600 nm is missing in the second image signal, so that partial information of the deep biological tissue of the second image signal is missing, and accuracy of information of the deep biological tissue of the finally generated endoscope image is affected. In addition, the first image signal and the second image signal are wide spectrum signals, and compared with the narrow spectrum signals, the high illumination brightness is easier to obtain, and the image quality is improved.

Illustratively, the half-peak width of the first and second band light is between 25nm and 50 nm. The half-peak width of the first band light is not less than 25nm, which can enable the first image signal to contain more information of biological tissues of the middle layer, and the half-peak width of the second band light is not less than 25nm, which can enable the second image signal to contain more information of biological tissues of the deep layer. The half-peak width of the light of the first frequency band is not more than 50nm, so that interference of the light signals outside the expected wave band range on information of middle-layer biological tissues in the endoscope image can be reduced, and the half-peak width of the light of the second frequency band is not more than 50nm, so that interference of the light signals outside the expected wave band range on information of deep-layer biological tissues in the endoscope image can be reduced. For example, when the peak wavelength of the first band light is 525nm, if the half-width of the first band light is 60nm, the band range of the first band light may exceed the desired band range, and the first image signal may include more information of the optical signal in the band range of 550 to 560 nm. And the information of the optical signals in the wavelength range of 550-560 nm can cause interference to the information of the biological tissues in the middle layer. Therefore, the half-peak width of the first frequency band light and the half-peak width of the second frequency band light are set to be 25-50 nm, so that the image signal for generating the endoscope image can be ensured to contain enough information of middle-layer and deep-layer biological tissues, noise signal interference can be reduced, and the information of the middle-layer and deep-layer biological tissues can be better distinguished from the endoscope image.

A display unit 400 for generating an endoscopic image from the first image signal and the second image signal and displaying the endoscopic image. The display part 400 may map the first image signal and the second image signal to respective color channels for displaying the endoscopic image to determine a color value of each color channel, and further generate and display a corresponding endoscopic image according to the color value of each color channel. For example, the first image signal and the second image signal may be respectively assigned to different color channels for displaying an endoscopic image, whereby the biological tissue information of the middle layer and the biological tissue information of the deep layer can be distinguished by different hues in the generated image.

The respective image signals used for generating the endoscope image, such as the first image signal and the second image signal, are located in the wave band range above 450nm, so that the contrast of shallow micro-blood vessels can be greatly weakened to be consistent with the color tone trend of other shallow tissues, the interference of shallow micro-blood vessel texture information in the region to be treated and the peripheral region thereof on deep tissue information therein can be avoided, and the blood vessel structures presented in the generated endoscope image are middle-layer and/or deep-layer blood vessel structures, thereby facilitating the definition of the positions of the submucosal large blood vessels in the region to be treated and the peripheral region thereof by doctors, reasonably planning the treatment path, and avoiding wound bleeding caused by injury of the large blood vessels.

In the above endoscope apparatus, a first image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 500nm to 550nm and a second image signal corresponding to a wavelength band range of 550nm to 600nm are respectively determined from light returned from a target tissue after irradiation with illumination light, and band light corresponding to each image signal for generating an endoscope image is made to be within a wavelength band range of 450nm or more, and then the endoscope image is generated from the first image signal and the second image signal. The endoscope image displayed by the endoscope device can avoid information interference of superficial mucosa microvasculature, accurately acquire information of middle-layer and deep biological tissues, and is beneficial to judging positions of the middle-layer and deep blood vessels by medical staff, thereby being beneficial to executing treatment operation according to the information.

Illustratively, the image output section 300 is further configured to output a third image signal based on the initial image signal, the third image signal being a response signal corresponding to third band light, the third band light having a peak wavelength greater than 600nm. When the peak wavelength of the third band light is greater than 600nm, it is indicated that the energy distribution of the third band light is concentrated in a band range of 600nm or more. As described above, the relative absorption coefficient of the blood tissue for the illumination light having a wavelength range of 600nm or more is relatively low, the reflection of the blood for the light having a wavelength range of 600nm or more is also more, and the penetration depth of the light having a wavelength range of 600nm or more into the target tissue is also deeper, so that the information of the deeper biological tissue can be reflected. Therefore, the light of the third frequency band of 600nm or more can increase the intensity of the light signal received by the image pickup unit 200, so as to increase the signal intensity of the image signal outputted from the image output unit, thereby increasing the brightness of the endoscopic image. Therefore, the third image signal corresponding to the light with the third frequency band, the peak wavelength of which is larger than 600nm, can be obtained and used for generating the background image in the endoscope image, and the overall brightness of the endoscope image is improved.

The display unit 400 is configured to generate an endoscopic image from the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal. The display part 400 may map not only the first image signal and the second image signal to respective color channels for displaying the endoscopic image to determine a color value of each color channel, but also generate and display a corresponding endoscopic image according to the color value of each color channel. The display part 400 may also map the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal to respective color channels for displaying the endoscopic image at the same time to determine a color value of each color channel, and further generate and display a corresponding endoscopic image according to the color value of each color channel.

In the above endoscope apparatus, the third image signal is acquired by the image output unit 300, and an endoscope image is generated by the display unit 400 based on the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal. Can provide more abundant background information and improve the brightness of the image while highlighting the middle layer and the deep biological tissues.

The following describes in detail a specific embodiment for extracting image signals (e.g., a first image signal, a second image signal, and a third image signal) for generating an endoscopic image to be displayed.

It will be appreciated that the image pickup section 200 may include any type of photosensor to collect light returned from the target tissue after illumination by the illumination light to form an initial image signal, such as an RGB sensor, a CMOS color sensor, or the like. In order to acquire image signals corresponding to light of different frequency bands, the image capturing section 200 may include two or more signal channels, each of which is used to collect light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated with the illumination light, and form corresponding initial image signals. Each signal channel of the image pickup section 200 has a corresponding spectral response sensitivity curve, and the image response I of any signal channel (i.e., an initial image signal formed by the signal channel) can be determined according to the following equation 1:

where L (λ) represents the illumination spectrum, rflex (λ) represents the object surface reflection coefficient, and Sensitivity (λ) represents the spectral response Sensitivity curve of the signal path. The image response I, i.e., the initial image signal that the signal path forms from the light returned from the surface of the target object, is influenced by the spectral response sensitivity curve of the signal path and the illumination spectrum, as can be seen from equation 1. Further, since the illumination spectrum L (λ) and the spectral response Sensitivity curve Sensitivity (λ) of the signal channels are both known characteristics of the endoscope system, and the object surface reflection coefficient Rflex (λ) is mainly affected by the imaging environment, the system spectral response curve Spectrum Response (λ) of each signal channel of the image pickup section 200 can be defined according to the following equation 2:

Where L (λ) represents an illumination spectrum of illumination light emitted by the illumination section 100, and Sensitivity (λ) represents a spectral response Sensitivity curve of any one of the signal channels of the imaging section 200. The system spectral response curves of the respective signal channels of the image pickup section 200 can be obtained according to equation 2. The spectral response curve of the system corresponding to each signal channel can approximately reflect the spectral characteristics of the return light actually sensed by the signal channel, so that the actual spectral characteristics corresponding to the initial image signal generated by the signal channel can be reflected more accurately. Therefore, in practical applications, the system spectral response curve of each signal channel of the image capturing unit 200 can be determined according to the spectral response sensitivity curve of each signal channel of the image capturing unit 200 and the illumination spectrum of the illumination light, and further, the spectral characteristics of the initial image signal output by each signal channel of the image capturing unit 200 can be determined. Thereby also facilitating screening and adjustment of the initial image signal that is not satisfactory for the desired generation of the endoscopic image.

In view of this, in order to extract a first image signal corresponding to a band range of 500nm to 550nm in peak wavelength and a second image signal corresponding to a band range of 550nm to 600nm in peak wavelength, in some embodiments, the image pickup section 200 may include a first signal channel and a second signal channel for collecting light returned from the target tissue after irradiation with the illumination light, respectively, and forming a first initial image signal and a second initial image signal, wherein a system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to a band in which the first target band light is located, and a system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers a band in which the second target band light is located, the first target band light being one of the first band light and the second band light, and the second target band light being the other of the first band light and the second band light. Thus, the image output section 300 can output the first initial image signal as a response signal corresponding to the first target frequency band light out of the first image signal and the second image signal, and output the response signal corresponding to the second target frequency band light out of the first image signal and the second image signal based on the second initial image signal.

When the proportion of the response sum of the first signal channel in the band where the first target frequency band light is located in the system spectral response sum of the first signal channel is not less than the preset response threshold, the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel can be regarded as corresponding to the band where the first target frequency band light is located. For example, when the first target band light is first band light, the band of which is 500nm to 550nm, and the preset response threshold is 70%, if the ratio of the sum of the responses of the first signal channel in the band range of 500nm to 550nm to the sum of all the system spectral responses of the first signal channel is not less than 70%, the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel can be regarded as corresponding to the band of the first target band light. The same applies when the first target band light is the second band light.

Or when the proportion of the system spectral response of the first signal channel, in which the band of the first target frequency band light is not less than 0, in the band of the first signal channel is not less than the preset proportion threshold, the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel can be regarded as corresponding to the band of the first target frequency band light. For example, the system spectral response of a signal channel is not less than 0 in the 500 nm-600 nm band (i.e., the system spectrum of the signal channel has a response in the 500 nm-600 nm band), and the target band light is 500 nm-580nm, and at this time, the ratio of 500 nm-580nm in 500 nm-600 nm is not less than 70%, and the system spectral response curve of the signal channel may be considered to correspond to the target band light.

When the band of the second target band light is located in the band of the portion of the second signal channel where the system spectral response is not 0 (i.e., when the second signal channel is responsive to light located in the band of the second target band light), it can be considered that the system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers the band of the second target band light. For example, when the portion of the second signal channel where the system spectral response is not 0 is 550nm to 610nm and the band of the second target band light is 550nm to 600nm, the system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers the band of the second target band light.

When the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to the band in which the first target frequency band light is located, the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel indicates that the first signal channel meets the requirement, and the first initial image signal contains enough information of middle-layer or deep biological tissue and has less signal interference, so the image output unit 300 can directly output the first initial image signal as a response signal corresponding to the first target frequency band light in the first image signal and the second image signal. For example, when the first target band light is the first band light, the first initial image signal may be output as the first image signal, and when the first target band light is the second band light, the first initial image signal may be output as the second image signal.

The system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers the band where the second target band light is located, and can extract the response signal corresponding to the second target band light from the band, so the image output unit 300 can output the response signal corresponding to the second target band light from the first image signal and the second image signal according to the second initial image signal. In some embodiments, since the system spectral response curve of the second signal channel may also cover other bands, more interference information may be introduced in the second initial image signal due to the presence of signals in other undesired bands, and it is difficult to obtain a better image contrast, so the image output unit 300 may further adjust the second initial image signal by using other related initial image signals, for example, the first initial image signal, so that the adjusted second initial image signal corresponds to the second target band light, and output the adjusted second initial image signal as a response signal corresponding to the second target band light in the first image signal and the second image signal.

In the above-described endoscope apparatus, by rationally designing the system spectral response curves of the respective signal channels in the image pickup section 200, the first image signal corresponding to the first band light and the second image signal corresponding to the second band light can be extracted by simple calculation of the initial image signals output from the respective signal channels, and the complexity of signal extraction and separation can be reduced.

For example, in order to extract a first image signal corresponding to the first frequency band light and a second image signal corresponding to the second frequency band light, while minimizing the influence on the existing endoscope hardware system, the illumination light may be made to include green broadband light. When the illumination light includes green broadband light, the image pickup section 200 can pick up return light with a more sufficient amount of light than the green narrowband light, and can provide a sufficient display luminance for the endoscope apparatus in displaying an endoscopic image. For example, the half-width of the green broadband light may be greater than 50nm. The green broadband light has the spectral characteristics that the green broadband light is cut off in a wave band range of less than or equal to 450nm, the peak wavelength is positioned in a wave band range of 500-600 nm, and the green broadband light has a continuous spectrum in the wave band range of 500-600 nm. The illumination section 100 emits green broadband light having such spectral characteristics, can reduce interference of light of other wavelength bands with endoscopic image imaging, and can cause information of first-band light and second-band light returned from the target tissue to be contained in light returned from the target tissue after irradiation of the illumination light, so that the initial image signal formed by the image pickup section 200 contains information of middle-layer and deep-layer biological tissues. The image output section 300 may then output a first image signal corresponding to the first frequency band light and a second image signal corresponding to the second frequency band light, respectively, based on the initial image signal. It can be appreciated that the broadband green light has lower hardware requirements than the narrow-band light for the illumination light source, is easy to obtain, and is common illumination light, for example, the conventional endoscope can also use the broadband green light in the white light imaging mode, so for most conventional endoscope light sources, no additional illumination device is required, and the requirements of the illumination spectrum of the endoscope device can be met only by setting the illumination spectrum of the endoscope device in advance and switching the illumination mode to emit the broadband green light.

The image pickup section 200 includes a color image sensor having a bayer filter, and a blue channel, a green channel, and a red channel of the color image sensor collect light returned from a target tissue after illumination with illumination light, respectively, to form a blue initial image signal, a green initial image signal, and a red initial image signal. The bayer filter can selectively absorb light of different wavebands, so that the incident light can be selectively filtered in a specific waveband. One of an R bayer filter, a G bayer filter, and a B bayer filter may be disposed above a channel of each pixel of the image sensor, so that the pixels of the image sensor form an arrangement similar to RGBG, GRGB, or RGGB, etc., and each pixel obtains an intensity value of light filtered through the correspondingly disposed bayer filter to obtain an initial image signal formed by each channel, respectively. With the color image sensor described above, the blue channel forms the blue initial image signal, the green channel forms the green initial image signal, and the red channel forms the red initial image signal.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of spectral response sensitivity curves of respective signal channels of the image pickup section 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The spectral response sensitivity curve of each channel of the image pickup section 200 may be different depending on the bayer filter provided for that channel. For example, an R bayer filter may be provided on the R channel, a G bayer filter may be provided on the G channel, and a B bayer filter may be provided on the B channel. As shown in fig. 3, the spectral response sensitivity curves of the R channel (R), G channel (G), and B channel (B) will be different.

The image output section 300 is configured to output a blue initial image signal as a first image signal and output a second image signal based on a green initial image signal.

Here, according to the processing procedure of the image output section 300 for the first target band light and the second target band light described above, the blue initial image signal may be used as the first initial image signal, and the green initial image signal may be used as the second initial image signal, so that the subsequent processing may be performed, which will not be described in detail herein. As can be appreciated, the image pickup section 200 employs a conventional color image sensor, and can obtain a first image signal corresponding to the first frequency band light and a second image signal corresponding to the second frequency band light without changing the hardware and structure of the existing endoscope to acquire information of the biological tissue of the middle layer and information of the biological tissue of the deep layer.

In the above-described endoscope apparatus, the illumination section 100 is configured to emit illumination light including green broadband light to a target tissue, the image pickup section 200 includes a color image sensor having a bayer filter, each of which is configured to form a blue initial image signal, a green initial image signal, and a red initial image signal, respectively, and then the image output section 300 is configured to output the blue initial image signal as a first image signal and output a second image signal in accordance with the green initial image signal. The endoscope device can obtain accurate endoscope images containing information of middle-layer and deep biological tissues, is convenient for doctors to execute corresponding treatment operation, has higher compatibility with the existing endoscope device in hardware design, and can reduce the improvement cost of the endoscope device.

The illumination light may also include, for example, a red broadband light having a spectral characteristic with a peak wavelength in a band of 600nm to 650nm and a continuous spectrum in a band of 600nm to 650 nm. The image output section 300 is also configured to output a third image signal based on the red initial image signal. The display section 400 is specifically configured to generate an endoscopic image from the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal, and display the endoscopic image. The illumination light includes the above broadband green light, and the red broadband light is added, so that the image pickup unit 200 can pick up the return light with a more sufficient amount of light, and can provide a sufficient display brightness for the endoscopic image generated by the endoscope apparatus. And the third image signal outputted according to the red initial image signal may be used to generate a background image of the above-mentioned endoscopic image, and at this time, the endoscopic image finally generated by the display part 400 will include the background image generated according to the third image signal, and the foreground image generated according to the first image signal and the second image signal, so that the display brightness of the endoscopic image may be improved when the middle and deep biological tissues are highlighted.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of an endoscopic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 4, the illumination portion 100 includes a light combining assembly 110 and at least two light sources (a first light source 101, a second light source 102. Each light source may be used to emit light of a different or the same wavelength band, for example, when the illumination section 100 includes the first light source 101 and the second light source 102, the first light source 101 may be used to emit the above-described green broadband light, and the second light source 102 may be used to emit the above-described red broadband light. Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the spectrum of the combined illumination light according to an embodiment of the invention. When the first light source 101 is configured to emit the green broadband light and the second light source 102 is configured to emit the red broadband light, the light combining component 110 may combine the green broadband light emitted by the first light source 101 and the red broadband light emitted by the second light source 102 to form the combined illumination light as shown in fig. 5. Wherein, each light source can be controlled to change the spectrum of the illumination light formed by the combined beam so as to meet the actual requirement. For example, when the lighting unit 100 includes the first light source 101 and the second light source 102, only the second light source 102 may be turned off to emit red broadband light so that the lighting light is the red broadband light, only the first light source 101 may be turned off to emit green broadband light so that the lighting light is the green broadband light, the first light source 101 and the second light source 102 may be turned on at the same time, and the relative spectrum of the lighting light formed by combining (i.e., the energy distribution of each band of light in the spectrum) may be adjusted by controlling the ratio of the light output amounts of the first light source 101 and the second light source 102.

In the above-described endoscope apparatus, the light emitted from at least two light sources of the illumination unit 100 is combined by the light combining unit 110 to form illumination light. The spectrum of the illumination light can be flexibly changed to obtain illumination light meeting the requirement, so as to indirectly adjust the system spectrum response curve of the image capturing section 200 to meet the requirement.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a system spectral response curve of each signal channel of the image pickup section according to an embodiment of the present invention. Illustratively, when the spectrum of the illumination light is the illumination spectrum in fig. 5 and the spectral response sensitivity curve of each signal channel of the image pickup section 200 is the spectral response sensitivity curve shown in fig. 3, the system spectral response curves respectively corresponding to the blue channel (B), the green channel (G), and the red channel (G) of the image pickup section 200 shown in fig. 6 can be obtained according to the above formula 2.

As can be seen from fig. 6, in this case, the system spectral response curve of the blue channel of the image capturing section 200 corresponds to the wavelength band of the first frequency band light, so that the blue initial image signal formed by the blue channel can be basically regarded as a response signal corresponding to the first frequency band light, and thus, the image output section 300 can output the blue initial image signal as the first image signal. The system spectral response curve of the green channel covers the wavelength band (500 nm-550 nm) of the first frequency band light and the wavelength band (600 nm) of more than 600nm in addition to the wavelength band (550 nm-600 mn) of the second frequency band light, so that the green initial image signal formed by the green channel contains more signal interference, and is not suitable to directly output the green initial image signal as the second image signal. Therefore, the green initial image signal can be adjusted according to the blue initial image signal and the red initial image signal to reduce signal interference in the green initial image, so that the adjusted green initial image signal meets the requirement as the second image signal.

For example, correction coefficients corresponding to the blue initial image signal and the red initial signal, respectively, may be determined, and then the adjusted green initial image signal may be determined according to the following formula 3:

Where G' denotes an adjusted green initial image signal as a second image signal, G denotes an unadjusted green initial image signal, k _B denotes a correction coefficient corresponding to a blue initial image signal, B denotes a blue initial image signal, k _R denotes a correction coefficient corresponding to a red initial image signal, and R denotes a red initial image signal.

For example, the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the system spectral response curve of the red channel can be simulated by manual testing, the system spectral response curve of the green channel is adjusted, and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the blue channel and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the red channel in the adjustment process are recorded. When the adjusted system spectral response curve of the green channel corresponds to the band in which the second band light is located, the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the blue channel in the adjustment process may be taken as k _B in the above formula 3, and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the red channel may be taken as k _R in the above formula 3. For example, the adjusted system spectral response curve for the green channel may be the desired system spectral response curve for the green channel shown in fig. 7.

The process of determining whether the adjusted system spectral response curve of the green channel corresponds to the band in which the second frequency band light is located is similar to the process of determining whether the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to the band in which the first target frequency band light is located. For example, when the proportion of the response sum of the green signal channel in the wavelength band of the second frequency band light in the adjusted system spectral response sum of the green signal channel is not less than the preset response threshold, the adjusted system spectral response curve of the green signal channel may be regarded as corresponding to the wavelength band of the second frequency band light. Or when the proportion of the system spectral response of the adjusted green channel in the wavelength band of the second frequency band light is not less than 0 is not less than the preset proportion threshold, the system spectral response curve of the adjusted green channel can be regarded as corresponding to the wavelength band of the second frequency band light.

It can be understood that any system spectral response curve corresponding to the band in which the second band light is located can be used as the expected spectral response of the green channel, and the difference between the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the expected system spectral response curve represents the error between the current green initial image signal and the actually required adjusted green initial image signal, and by compensating for this error, the signal interference in the green initial image can be reduced, so that the adjusted green initial image signal meets the requirement as the second image signal. Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a green channel desired system spectral response curve according to an embodiment of the invention.

Accordingly, alternatively, a desired system spectral response curve of a green channel corresponding to a band in which the second frequency band light is located as shown in fig. 7 may be determined first, and then the image output section 300 may adjust the green initial image signal based on a difference between the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the desired system spectral response curve, the blue initial image signal, and the red initial signal, and take the adjusted green initial image signal as the second image signal. Wherein, the correction coefficients corresponding to the blue initial image signal and the red initial signal respectively can be determined according to the difference between the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the expected system spectral response curve, and then the adjusted green initial image signal is determined according to the above formula 3.

After the display unit 400 obtains the first image signal and the second image signal, a foreground image of the endoscope image can be generated from the first image signal and the second image signal and displayed. The image output unit 300 may output a third image signal based on the red initial image signal, for example, the red initial image signal may be output as the third image signal or the red initial image signal may be adjusted using the green initial image signal and then the adjusted red initial image signal may be output as the third image signal, and the display unit 400 may generate and display a background image of the endoscope image based on the third image signal.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of an illumination light spectrum according to a further embodiment of the invention. Illustratively, the illumination portion 100 includes a white light source and one or more filters through which white light emitted by the white light source passes to form illumination light. The white light source may be any light source capable of emitting white light, such as a fluorescent lamp, a white light LED, a xenon lamp, etc., and at least one of the one or more filters may be used to filter light in a wavelength band range below 450nm in the white light, so as to obtain illumination light with a spectrum as shown in fig. 8. In order to meet the actual requirements, at least one of the one or more filters may be used to filter out light in a band range below 450nm, 650nm or 760 nm.

In the above-mentioned endoscope apparatus, the white light emitted by the white light source is filtered by using one or more filtering sheets, the requirement on the light source is relatively low, the complexity of the illumination portion 100 can be reduced, the cost of the endoscope apparatus can be reduced, and the illumination light meeting the requirement can be obtained, so as to indirectly adjust the system spectrum response curve of the image pickup portion 200 to meet the requirement.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a system spectral response curve of each signal channel of the image pickup section according to an embodiment of the present invention. Illustratively, when the spectrum of the illumination light is the illumination light spectrum in fig. 8 and the spectral response sensitivity curve of each channel of the image pickup section 200 is the spectral response sensitivity curve shown in fig. 3, the system spectral response curves respectively corresponding to the blue channel (B), the green channel (G), and the red channel (G) of the image pickup section 200 shown in fig. 9 can be obtained according to the above formula 2.

As can be seen from fig. 9, the system spectral response curve of the blue channel of the image capturing section 200 corresponds to the first frequency band light, so that the blue initial image signal formed by the blue channel meets the requirement, and the image output section 300 can be used to output the blue initial image signal as the first image signal. The system spectrum response curve of the green channel covers other wave bands besides the wave band (550 nm-600 mn) where the second frequency band light is located, so that the green initial image signal formed by the green channel contains more signal interference, and the green initial image signal is not suitable to be directly output as the second image signal.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a green channel desired system spectral response curve according to an embodiment of the invention. For example, the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the system spectral response curve of the red channel can be simulated by manual testing, the system spectral response curve of the green channel is adjusted, and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the blue channel and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the red channel in the adjustment process are recorded. When the adjusted system spectral response curve of the green channel corresponds to the band in which the second band light is located, the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the blue channel in the adjustment process may be taken as k _B in the above formula 3, and the correction coefficient corresponding to the system spectral response curve of the red channel may be taken as k _R in the above formula 3. For example, the adjusted system spectral response curve for the green channel may be the desired system spectral response curve for the green channel shown in fig. 10.

Alternatively, a desired system spectral response curve of a green channel corresponding to a band in which the second frequency band light is located as shown in fig. 10 may be determined first, and then the image output section 300 may be configured to adjust the green initial image signal based on a difference between the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the desired system spectral response curve, the blue initial image signal, and the red initial signal, and to take the adjusted green initial image signal as the second image signal. For example, the image output section 300 may be configured to determine correction coefficients corresponding to the blue initial image signal and the red initial signal, respectively, based on a difference between the system spectral response curve of the green channel and the desired system spectral response curve at this time, and then determine the adjusted green initial image signal as the second image signal based on the above-described formula 3.

After the display unit 400 obtains the first image signal and the second image signal, a foreground image of the endoscope image can be generated from the first image signal and the second image signal and displayed. The image output unit 300 may output a third image signal based on the red initial image signal, for example, the red initial image signal may be output as the third image signal, or the red initial image signal may be adjusted by the green initial image signal and then the adjusted red initial image signal may be output as the third image signal, and the display unit 400 may generate and display a background image of the endoscope image based on the third image signal.

Illustratively, in order to extract a first image signal corresponding to the first frequency band light and a second image signal corresponding to the second frequency band light, in another embodiment, the illumination light has a continuous spectrum in a band range of 500nm to 600 nm. The first signal path has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the first frequency band light for collecting light returned from the target tissue in a band of the first frequency band light to form a first initial image signal. The second signal path has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to light in a second frequency band for collecting light returned from the target tissue in a band in which the light in the second frequency band is located to form a second initial image signal. The image output section 300 is configured to output a first initial image signal as a first image signal and a second initial image signal as a second image signal.

The determining whether the first signal channel has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the first frequency band light and the determining whether the second signal channel has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the second frequency band light may refer to a determining process of whether the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to a wavelength band of the first target frequency band light, which will not be described in detail herein. In practical applications, an image sensor that meets the requirements may be directly selected as a component of the image capturing section 200, such that a first signal channel of the image capturing section 200 has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the first frequency band light, and a second signal channel of the image capturing section 200 has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to the second frequency band light.

Because the illumination light has a continuous spectrum in a wavelength band of 500nm to 600nm, the first signal channel has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to light of a first frequency band, and the second signal channel has a spectral response sensitivity curve corresponding to light of a second frequency band. Therefore, the first initial image signal is a response signal of the first band light, and the second initial image signal is a response signal of the second band light, and thus, the first initial image signal can be directly output as the first image signal and the second initial image signal can be output as the second image signal.

In the above endoscope apparatus, the image output unit 300 may directly output the first initial image signal as the first image signal and the second initial image signal as the second image signal. The processing procedure of the endoscope on the initial image signal can be reduced, and the information error in the generated endoscope image is reduced, so that the accuracy of the endoscope image is improved.

Illustratively, in order to extract a first image signal corresponding to the first frequency band light and a second image signal corresponding to the second frequency band light, in a further embodiment, the illumination light includes the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light, and the illumination section 100 is configured to time-divisionally emit the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light. The illumination section 100 may include a plurality of light emitting sources, and may emit light of a first frequency band and light of a second frequency band at different times, respectively. The illumination section 100 may include only a single light source capable of adjusting the spectrum of the emitted light, so as to adjust the spectrum of the emitted light to the first frequency band light when the illumination light is required to be the first frequency band light, and adjust the spectrum of the emitted light to the second frequency band light when the illumination light is required to be the first frequency band light. The illumination section 100 may alternately emit the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light at predetermined time intervals to achieve time-division emission of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light.

Alternatively, the first and second frequency band lights may be emitted at the time of using the illumination portion 100 in fig. 4. For example, the other light sources except the first light source 101 in the illumination portion 100 in fig. 4 may be turned off at the first moment, that is, only the first light source 101 is turned on, and at this time, the illumination light emitted by the illumination portion 100 after the light combining component 110 combines the beams is the first band light. The other light sources except the second light source 102 in the illumination portion 100 in fig. 4 may be turned off at the second moment, that is, only the second light source 102 is turned on, and at this time, the illumination light emitted by the illumination portion 100 after the light combining component 110 combines the beams is the second band light. Thereby, the illumination section 100 can be caused to emit light of the first frequency band at the first timing and light of the second frequency band at the second timing.

Wherein, when the illumination section 100 emits the first frequency band light, the image pickup section 200 is configured to collect the light returned from the target tissue after the irradiation of the first frequency band light, and form the fourth initial image signal. When the illumination section 100 emits the second frequency band light, the image pickup section 200 is configured to collect the light returned from the target tissue after the irradiation of the second frequency band light, and form a fifth initial image signal.

The image output section 300 is configured to output the fourth initial image signal as the first image signal and the fifth initial image signal as the second image signal. It will be appreciated that when the illumination unit 100 emits light in the first frequency band, the light returned from the subject also generally includes only the light in the first frequency band, so that the fourth initial image signal includes only the information of the biological tissue of the middle layer, and no other signal interference occurs. Similarly, when the illumination unit 100 emits light of the second frequency band, the light returned from the subject generally contains only light of the second frequency band, so that the fifth initial image signal contains only information of the deep biological tissue, and no other signal interference occurs. The image output section 300 may be configured to output the fourth initial image signal as the first image signal and the fifth initial image signal as the second image signal. At this time, the first image signal is a response signal corresponding to the first band light, and the second image signal is a response signal corresponding to the second band light.

In the above endoscope apparatus, the illumination unit 100 is configured to time-divisionally emit the first-band light and the second-band light, the imaging unit 200 is configured to collect the light returned from the target tissue after the irradiation of the first-band light or the second-band light, to form the fourth initial image signal or the fifth initial image signal, and the image output unit 300 is configured to output the fourth initial image signal as the first image signal and the fifth initial image signal as the second image signal. The endoscope apparatus can reduce unnecessary signal interference in an image signal to improve accuracy of information of middle or deep biological tissues of an endoscope image.

For example, when a doctor performs lesion recognition on a target tissue using the above-described endoscope apparatus, it is possible to first recognize a lesion position in a narrow-band imaging mode (i.e., generate an endoscope image using, for example, a narrow-band blue-light image signal near 415nm and a narrow-band green-light image signal near 540nm for highlighting shallow micro-vascular texture information), and then switch to an imaging mode corresponding to the endoscope apparatus in the present application (i.e., generate an endoscope image using an image signal corresponding to a band light of a band range of 450nm or more, including a first image signal and a second image signal, for highlighting middle-deep biological tissue information and reducing interference of the shallow micro-vascular texture information) in which an operation of resecting a lesion is performed, before or during performing the resecting operation, the doctor can determine the position of the focus through the structural characteristics of the focus area in the endoscope image generated by the endoscope device, and simultaneously, determine the positions of middle-layer blood vessels and deep-layer blood vessels near the focus, so as to mark or determine the cutting range capable of avoiding submucosal large blood vessels, thereby reducing the bleeding of wounds, wherein, the doctor does not pay attention to the morphology of shallow-layer blood vessels in the process of executing the excision operation, therefore, the display of information on the shallow blood vessels is reduced in the endoscope image generated by the endoscope device, so that the observation of doctors is not influenced, the interference on the confirmation of the position of the middle and deep blood vessels by the doctors can be reduced, the convenience of minimally invasive treatment under the endoscope can be improved, and the possibility that the large blood vessels under the mucosa are accidentally injured to cause difficult healing of wounds is reduced. In addition, in clinical application, the endoscope image generated based on the endoscope device provided by the application can reduce the influence of bleeding on structural observation in the process of executing treatment operation by doctors, thereby facilitating the doctors to quickly locate vascular rupture points and stop bleeding in time.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the specific implementation and advantages of the above-described endoscopic apparatus by reading the above-described detailed description of the endoscopic apparatus, and for brevity, the detailed description is omitted herein.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the above illustrative embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of the elements is merely a logical functional division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, e.g., multiple elements or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted or not performed.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in order to streamline the invention and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and all of the processes or units of any method or apparatus so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where the features are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments described herein include some features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

Various component embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) may be used in practice to implement some or all of the functionality of some of the modules used in an endoscopic device according to embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for performing a portion or all of the methods described herein. Such a program embodying the present invention may be stored on a computer readable medium, or may have the form of one or more signals. Such signals may be downloaded from an internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, third, etc. do not denote any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of specific embodiments of the present invention and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about variations or substitutions within the scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the invention is subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An endoscope device, comprising:

An illumination unit, used for emitting illumination light to a target tissue;

An imaging unit, used for collecting light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light, and forming an initial image signal, wherein the imaging unit comprises a first signal channel and a second signal channel, and the first signal channel and the second signal channel are respectively used for collecting light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light, and forming a first initial image signal and a second initial image signal;

The image output unit is used to output a first image signal and a second image signal based on the initial image signal, wherein the first image signal is a response signal corresponding to a first frequency band light, and the second image signal is a response signal corresponding to a second frequency band light, the peak wavelength of the first frequency band light is located in a waveband range of 500nm~550nm and has a continuous spectrum in the waveband range of 500~550nm, and the peak wavelength of the second frequency band light is located in a waveband range of 550nm~600nm and has a continuous spectrum in the waveband range of 550~600nm; the system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to the first target frequency band. the wavelength band where the second target frequency band light is located, the system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers the wavelength band where the second target frequency band light is located, the first target frequency band light is one of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light, the second target frequency band light is the other of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light, the image output unit is used to output the first initial image signal as a response signal of the first image signal and the second image signal corresponding to the first target frequency band light, and use the first initial image signal to adjust the second initial image signal to output the response signal of the first image signal and the second image signal corresponding to the second target frequency band light;

A display unit, used to generate an endoscopic image according to the first image signal and the second image signal, and display the endoscopic image; wherein the frequency band light corresponding to each image signal used to generate the endoscopic image is within a wavelength range above 450nm;

The system spectral response curve of each signal channel of the camera unit is determined according to the spectral response sensitivity curve of each signal channel and the illumination spectrum of the illumination light;

The system spectral response curve of the first signal channel corresponds to the wavelength band where the first target frequency band light is located and includes:

The proportion of the sum of the responses of the first signal channel in the wavelength band where the first target frequency band light is located in the sum of the system spectral responses of the first signal channel is not less than a preset response threshold, or the proportion of the wavelength band where the first target frequency band light is located in the wavelength band where the system spectral responses of the first signal channel are located that is not less than 0 is not less than a preset proportion threshold;

The system spectral response curve of the second signal channel covers the wavelength band where the second target frequency band light is located, including: the wavelength band where the second target frequency band light is located is within the wavelength band where a part of the system spectral response of the second signal channel is not zero.

2 . The endoscope device according to claim 1 , wherein the half-peak widths of the first frequency band light and the second frequency band light are between 25 nm and 50 nm.

3. The endoscope device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the image output unit is further used to output a third image signal based on the initial image signal, the third image signal is a response signal corresponding to a third frequency band light, and the peak wavelength of the third frequency band light is greater than 600nm;

The display unit is used to generate the endoscopic image based on the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal.

4. The endoscope device according to claim 1, characterized in that the illumination light comprises green broadband light, and the green broadband light has the following spectral characteristics: cut-off within a wavelength range less than or equal to 450 nm, a peak wavelength within a wavelength range of 500 nm to 600 nm, and a continuous spectrum within the wavelength range of 500 nm to 600 nm;

The camera unit includes a color image sensor with a Bayer filter, and a blue channel, a green channel, and a red channel of the color image sensor respectively collect light returned from the target tissue after being irradiated by the illumination light to form a blue initial image signal, a green initial image signal, and a red initial image signal;

The image output unit is configured to output the blue initial image signal as the first image signal, and output the second image signal according to the green initial image signal.

5. The endoscope device according to claim 4, characterized in that the illumination light further comprises red broadband light, and the red broadband light has the following spectral characteristics: having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 600nm to 650nm, and having a continuous spectrum in the wavelength range of 600nm to 650nm;

The image output unit is further used to output a third image signal according to the red initial image signal;

The display unit is specifically configured to generate an endoscopic image according to the first image signal, the second image signal, and the third image signal, and display the endoscopic image.

6. The endoscope device according to claim 4, characterized in that:

The lighting unit comprises a light combining component and at least two light sources, and the light emitted by the at least two light sources is combined by the light combining component to form the lighting light;

or,

The illumination unit includes a white light source and one or more filters. The white light emitted by the white light source passes through the one or more filters to form the illumination light.