Patent ID: 9143746
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: A61B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for real-time acquisition of fluorescence and white-light endoscopic images with a single CCD color image sensor, comprising the steps of: continuously illuminating tissue with fluorescence excitation light, periodically illuminating the tissue with illumination light, detecting with the single CCD color image sensor tissue fluorescence from the tissue induced by the fluorescence excitation light when the tissue is not illuminated with the illumination light, detecting with the single CCD color imager a combined tissue fluorescence and white-light image from the tissue when the tissue is additionally illuminated with the illumination light, reading image fields from the single CCD color image sensor in an interlaced fashion, processing the image fields to produce corresponding full-frame fluorescence and white-light images, subtracting from each full-frame combined fluorescence and white-light image the corresponding fluorescence image on a pixel-by pixel basis, and displaying or storing the real-time fluorescence and white-light images of the tissue.