Patent ID: 6462770
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An imaging system for fluorescence endoscopy, comprising:a light source that produces fluorescence excitation light; an endoscope that delivers the fluorescence excitation light to tissue under examination in vivo and collects autofluorescence produced by the tissue; a dual channel fluorescence camera containing a first and second high sensitivity imaging device that receive the autofluorescence in a first and second spectral band and produce electronic signals that are representative of the tissue under examination; a control center, including an image processing board that receives the electronic signals produced by the dual channel fluorescence camera wherein said control center causes an image of the tissue under examination to be processed, stored and displayed on a video monitor; an automatic gain control circuit that determines a distribution of intensity levels in the electronic signals produced by the dual channel fluorescence camera and adjusts a gain of the first and second high sensitivity image device and/or adjusts a light source intensity based on said distribution of the intensity levels such that the relative gain between the first and second high sensitivity imaging devices follows substantially a polynomial; and a video monitor that receives the video signals produced by the image processing board and displays an image of the tissue under examination.