Patent ID: 6280378
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A fluorescence endoscope comprisingan illuminating light projecting system which projects illuminating light onto a part inside a body,a first objective optical system which is inserted into the interior of the body and causes the illuminating light reflected at the part of the body to form a normal image of the part,a normal image taking means which takes the image formed by the objective optical system and outputs a normal image signal representing the normal image,an excitation light projecting system which projects onto a part inside the body excitation light having a wavelength in the excitation wavelength range of a photosensitive material,a second objective optical system which causes fluorescence emitted from the part to form a fluorescence image, anda fluorescence image taking means which takes the fluorescence image formed by the second objective optical system and outputs a fluorescence image signal representing the fluorescence image,wherein the improvement comprisesa measuring light projecting system which projects measuring light having a wavelength in the wavelength range of the fluorescence onto a part inside the body,an operation means which obtains an image degradation function of the second objective optical system through operation using image signals respectively output from the normal image taking means and the fluorescence image taking means on the basis of images formed through the first and second objective optical systems by the measuring light reflected at the same part of the body, andan image processing means which carries out an image restoration processing on a fluorescence image signal output from the fluorescence image taking means on the basis of the image degradation function.