Patent Description:
When a coherent light source, such as laser light, is used as the light source for minimally invasive surgical (MIS) or endoscopic procedures, speckle is an undesirable effect as it makes the image appear grainy to a viewer. Conventional light sources for MIS and endoscopy (such as metal halide bulbs, halogen bulbs, xenon bulbs, and light emitting diodes (LEDs)) do not have a speckle pattern because the light has low coherence. Speckle patterns are generally not noticeable from light with low coherence because the amplitude variations tend to average each other out. Despite the speckle pattern, a laser light source may have benefits over conventional light sources, including power efficiency, cost, low heat generation, small size, color pulsing, narrow-band imaging, and the ability to generate controlled light outside the visible spectrum (infrared or ultraviolet). Therefore, a coherent light source system, such as a laser light source system, without the speckle pattern is desirable.

Others have attempted to address the speckle effect with laser light using a variety of methods, each of which essentially lowers the coherence of the light. One of the simplest methods is to place a moving diffuser in the light path. The diffuser can rotate or oscillate and this movement lowers the light coherence. Other methods include systems of mirrors, homogenizing lenses, and/or light guides. A common application of the technology is in laser projectors. <CIT> discloses speckle reduction of an endoscopic system with at least one light source for generating at least partially coherent light. <CIT> discloses a motion measurement system, method of measurement, and presentation of motion within a cavity; in particular, clinical endoscopic speckle imaging of blood flow. <CIT> discloses an endoscope system able to stably obtain an image free from speckle interference based on a captured image including a first basic color component B on which a speckle noise of a laser beam is superimposed and a second basic color component G not including the speckle noise. <CIT> discloses a video endoscope system including a reusable control cabinet and an endoscope system that is connectable thereto.

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive implementations of the disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. Advantages of the disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:.

The disclosure extends to methods, devices, and systems for removing speckle from a coherent light source, such as laser light. The methods, devices, and systems of the disclosure help eliminate or reduce speckle introduced from a coherent light source, such as laser light, by utilizing the teachings and principles of the disclosure. In the following description of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific implementations in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "comprising," "including," "containing," "characterized by," and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

As used herein, the phrase "coherent light source" refers to a source of light or electromagnetic radiation that is capable of producing radiation with all of the wavelengths vibrating in-phase. Thus, "coherent light source" includes, but is not limited to, light or radiation consisting of only one wavelength because such light or radiation is considered to be in-phase. Such light sources may include, for example, a laser light source. It will be appreciated that all coherent light sources are intended to fall within the scope of the disclosure.

Further, where appropriate, functions described herein can be performed in one or more of hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed to carry out one or more of the systems and procedures described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the following description and Claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, components may be referred to by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name, but not function.

Referring now to the figures, it will be appreciated that speckle from a coherent light source, such as laser light, used for endoscopy may be removed by vibrating a fiber optic bundle that carries the light from the light source to a surgical site. The removal of speckle may be achieved by attaching a vibrating mechanism to the fiber optic bundle at some location along the length of the fiber optic bundle. It will be appreciated that light loses coherence momentarily as the geometry of its path changes. When the new path comes to rest, a new speckle pattern will appear. Introducing vibration to the fiber is essentially introducing a series of changes in path geometry, and if the change in path geometry is performed at a fast enough frequency the observable speckle pattern may be substantially eliminated or removed, such that a human eye cannot detect the speckle pattern.

When viewed by the human eye, the minimum oscillation frequency to remove observable speckle is approximately <NUM>. If the image is being captured by an imaging sensor, this minimum frequency could change based on the image acquisition frame rate and the display frame rate.

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, a system <NUM> for removing speckle from a coherent light source, such as laser light, is illustrated. The system <NUM> may comprise a display <NUM>, a control unit <NUM>, a coherent light source <NUM>, such as a laser light source, an imaging device <NUM>, such as a camera that may be in electronic communication with the control unit <NUM> and/or the light source <NUM>, an endoscopic device <NUM>, a fiber optic bundle <NUM>, and a vibrating mechanism <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, an image sensor <NUM> is located at a distal end of the endoscopic device <NUM> as detailed more fully below. In the implementation of <FIG>, the imaging sensor <NUM> may be located in the imaging device <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> for removing speckle from the coherent light source <NUM> is illustrated. The vibrating mechanism <NUM> may comprise a connector <NUM>, a vibrating device <NUM>, a cavity <NUM> formed within the connector <NUM> for receiving and holding the vibrating device <NUM> therein, and a sleeve <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the sleeve <NUM> may comprise a single sleeve <NUM>, or a plurality of sleeves <NUM>, such as a first sleeve 178a and a second sleeve 178b. The first sleeve 178a and the second sleeve 178b may be used for attaching a first fiber optic bundle 160a and a second fiber optic bundle 160b, respectively, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. It will be appreciated that the vibrating mechanism may simply comprise the vibrating device <NUM> without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The vibrating device <NUM> may be a small mechanical motor, or a piezoelectric crystal, oscillator, or resonator component. It will be appreciated that the vibrating device <NUM> may be selected from the group consisting of a small mechanical motor, or a piezoelectric crystal, oscillator, or resonator component.

The vibrating mechanism <NUM> may be located or placed anywhere along the fiber optic bundle <NUM>. The vibrating mechanism <NUM> causes the light emanating from the light source, such as laser light, to lose coherence momentarily as the geometry of its path is changed. When the new path comes to rest, a new speckle pattern will appear. The introduction of the vibration or vibration stimulus to the fiber optic bundle <NUM> introduces a series of changes in path geometry. The series of changes should be performed at a high enough frequency so that the observable speckle pattern may be substantially eliminated or removed, such that a human eye cannot detect the speckle pattern when the video is output to the display <NUM>.

According to the invention, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> is located at a junction of two lengths of fiber <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. In this implementation, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> may be integrated into the connector <NUM> that acts to couple the two lengths of the fiber <NUM> as illustrated best in <FIG>.

In one implementation, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> may be coupled to a single location, instead of a plurality of locations, along a length of the fiber bundle <NUM>.

In any implementation, a vibration damper may be utilized to minimize the vibration experienced by the user. The vibration damper may be located anywhere along the fiber optic bundle to reduce the amplitude of oscillations or vibrations so that the user of the imaging device does not experience or receive the oscillations or vibrations.

In an implementation not according to the invention, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> may comprise a vibrating device <NUM> that may only be attached to the fiber optic bundle <NUM>. In this implementation, the vibrating device <NUM> is directly attached to the fiber optic bundle <NUM> with no intervening connectors or parts as illustrated best in <FIG> and <FIG>. In this implementation, the vibrating device <NUM> may be a small mechanical motor, a piezoelectric crystal, an oscillator, and a resonator component. It will be appreciated that the vibrating device <NUM> of this implementation may be selected from the group consisting of a small mechanical motor, or a piezoelectric crystal, oscillator, or resonator component.

The imaging device <NUM> of the system <NUM> for removing speckle from an image frame from a surgical site may comprise the image sensor <NUM>, wherein the image sensor comprises a pixel array <NUM>. Similarly, the image sensor <NUM> may be located at a distal portion of the endoscopic device <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the endoscopic device <NUM> of the disclosure may be any suitable endoscopic device that is known or that may become known in the future that may be used in a surgical setting without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The coherent light source <NUM> for providing light to a surgical site may be any suitable coherent light source that is known or that may become known in the future that may be used in a surgical setting without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the fiber optic bundle <NUM> may be connected to the coherent light source <NUM> and to the endoscopic device <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. It will be appreciated that any suitable fiber optic bundle that is known or that may become known in the future that may be used in a surgical setting may be utilized by the disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The control unit <NUM> may comprise circuitry for sending data to the image sensor <NUM> and receiving data from the image sensor <NUM> to create an image frame of the surgical site. The control unit <NUM> may be any suitable control unit that is known or that may become known in the future that may be used in a surgical setting without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Similarly, the display of the disclosure allows a user to visualize the surgical site and may be any suitable display that is known or that may become known in the future that may be used in a surgical setting without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

It will be appreciated that the imaging device <NUM> of the system <NUM> may be in electronic communication with the control unit <NUM>. In an implementation, the imaging sensor <NUM> may be a CMOS sensor. In an implementation, the imaging sensor may be a CCD sensor.

It will be appreciated that the above disclosure may be applied to any MIS or endoscopy visualization system using a laser-based light source, including a conventional reusable system, a limited use or re-posable system, or a single use system. This is also applicable for white or colored laser light sources within the visible spectrum or outside the visible spectrum.

Referring now to <FIG>, it will be appreciated that the principles and teachings of the disclosure may be applied to many different endoscopic and imaging systems. For example, the vibrating mechanism <NUM> used to remove speckle may be used in combination with a monochrome image sensor and a pulsing laser light source. <FIG> illustrates a schematic view of a paired sensor and an electromagnetic emitter in operation for use in producing an image in a light deficient environment. Such a configuration allows for increased functionality in light controlled or ambient light deficient environments. It should be noted that as used herein the term "light" is both a particle and a wavelength, and is intended to denote electromagnetic radiation that is detectable by a pixel array, and may be include wavelengths from the visible and non-visible spectrums of electromagnetic radiation. The term "partition" is used herein to mean a pre-determined range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that is less than the entire spectrum, or in other words, wavelengths that make up some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. An emitter may be a light source that is controllable as to the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is emitted, the intensity of the emissions, or the duration of the emission, or all three. An emitter may emit light in any dithered, diffused, or columnated emission and may be controlled digitally or through analog methods or systems.

A pixel array of an image sensor may be paired with an emitter electronically, such that they are synced during operation for both receiving the emissions and for the adjustments made within the system. As can be seen in <FIG>, an emitter may be tuned to emit electromagnetic radiation in the form of a laser, which may be pulsed in order to illuminate an object. According to the invention, the emitter pulses at an interval that corresponds to the operation and functionality of a pixel array. The emitter pulses light in a plurality of electromagnetic partitions, such that the pixel array receives electromagnetic energy and produces a data set that corresponds (in time) with each specific electromagnetic partition. For example, <FIG> illustrates a system having a monochromatic pixel array (black and white), which is simply sensitive to electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. The light emitter illustrated in the figure may be a laser emitter that is capable of emitting a green electromagnetic partition, a blue electromagnetic partition, and a red electromagnetic partition in any desired sequence. It will be appreciated that other light emitters may be used in <FIG> without departing from the scope of the disclosure, such as digital based emitters that create a speckle pattern. During operation, the data created by the monochromatic sensor for any individual pulse is assigned a specific color partition, wherein the assignment is based on the timing of the pulsed color partition from the emitter. Even though the pixels are not color dedicated they can be assigned a color for any given data set based on timing. In one implementation, three data sets representing RED, GREEN and BLUE pulses may then be combined to form a single image frame. It will be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to any particular color combination or any particular electromagnetic partition, and that any color combination or any electromagnetic partition may be used in place of RED, GREEN and BLUE, such as Cyan, Magenta and Yellow, Ultraviolet, infrared, or any other color combination, including all visible and non-visible wavelengths, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In the figure, the object to be imaged contains a red portion, green portion and a blue portion. As illustrated in the figure, the reflected light from the electromagnetic pulses only contains the data for the portion of the object having the specific color that corresponds to the pulsed color partition. Those separate color (or color interval) data sets can then be used to reconstruct the image by combining the data sets.

The disclosure is also concerned with a system solution for endoscopy applications in which the image sensor is resident at the distal end of the endoscope. In striving for a minimal area sensor based system, there are other design aspects that can be developed too, beyond the reduction in pixel count. In particular, the area of the digital portion of the chip should be minimized, as should the number of connections to the chip (pads). This involves the design of a full-custom CMOS image sensor with several novel features.

It will be appreciated that the disclosure may be used with any image sensor, whether a CMOS image sensor or CCD image sensor, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Further, the image sensor may be located in any location within the overall system, including, but not limited to, the tip of the endoscope, the hand piece of the imaging device or camera, the control unit, or any other location within the system without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Implementations of an image sensor that may be utilized by the disclosure include, but are not limited to, the following, which are merely examples of various types of sensors that may be utilized by the disclosure.

Referring now to <FIG>, the figures illustrate a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an implementation of a monolithic sensor <NUM> having a plurality of pixel arrays for producing a three dimensional image in accordance with the teachings and principles of the disclosure. Such an implementation may be desirable for three dimensional image capture, wherein the two pixel arrays <NUM> and <NUM> may be offset during use. In another implementation, a first pixel array <NUM> and a second pixel array <NUM> may be dedicated to receiving a predetermined range of wave lengths of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the first pixel array <NUM> is dedicated to a different range of wave length electromagnetic radiation than the second pixel array <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an implementation of an imaging sensor <NUM> built on a plurality of substrates. As illustrated, a plurality of pixel columns <NUM> forming the pixel array are located on the first substrate <NUM> and a plurality of circuit columns <NUM> are located on a second substrate <NUM>. Also illustrated in the figure are the electrical connection and communication between one column of pixels to its associated or corresponding column of circuitry. In one implementation, an image sensor, which might otherwise be manufactured with its pixel array and supporting circuitry on a single, monolithic substrate/chip, may have the pixel array separated from all or a majority of the supporting circuitry. The disclosure may use at least two substrates/chips, which will be stacked together using three-dimensional stacking technology. The first <NUM> of the two substrates/chips may be processed using an image CMOS process. The first substrate/chip <NUM> may be comprised either of a pixel array exclusively or a pixel array surrounded by limited circuitry. The second or subsequent substrate/chip <NUM> may be processed using any process, and does not have to be from an image CMOS process. The second substrate/chip <NUM> may be, but is not limited to, a highly dense digital process in order to integrate a variety and number of functions in a very limited space or area on the substrate/chip, or a mixed-mode or analog process in order to integrate for example precise analog functions, or a RF process in order to implement wireless capability, or MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) in order to integrate MEMS devices. The image CMOS substrate/chip <NUM> may be stacked with the second or subsequent substrate/chip <NUM> using any three-dimensional technique. The second substrate/chip <NUM> may support most, or a majority, of the circuitry that would have otherwise been implemented in the first image CMOS chip <NUM> (if implemented on a monolithic substrate/chip) as peripheral circuits and therefore have increased the overall system area while keeping the pixel array size constant and optimized to the fullest extent possible. The electrical connection between the two substrates/chips may be done through interconnects <NUM> and <NUM>, which may be wirebonds, bump and/or TSV (Through Silicon Via).

<FIG> illustrate a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an implementation of an imaging sensor <NUM> having a plurality of pixel arrays for producing a three dimensional image. The three dimensional image sensor may be built on a plurality of substrates and may comprise the plurality of pixel arrays and other associated circuitry, wherein a plurality of pixel columns 904a forming the first pixel array and a plurality of pixel columns 904b forming a second pixel array are located on respective substrates 902a and 902b, respectively, and a plurality of circuit columns 908a and 908b are located on a separate substrate <NUM>. Also illustrated are the electrical connections and communications between columns of pixels to associated or corresponding column of circuitry.

It will be appreciated that the teachings and principles of the disclosure may be used in a reusable device platform, a limited use device platform, a re-posable use device platform, or a single-use/disposable device platform without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that in a re-usable device platform an end-user is responsible for cleaning and sterilization of the device. In a limited use device platform the device can be used for some specified amount of times before becoming inoperable. Typical new device is delivered sterile with additional uses requiring the end-user to clean and sterilize before additional uses. In a re-posable use device platform a third-party may reprocess the device (e.g., cleans, packages and sterilizes) a single-use device for additional uses at a lower cost than a new unit. In a single-use/disposable device platform a device is provided sterile to the operating room and used only once before being disposed of.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for removing speckle from an image frame of a surgical site comprising:
an endoscopic device (<NUM>) comprising a distal end;
an imaging device (<NUM>) comprising a CMOS image sensor (<NUM>), wherein the CMOS image sensor comprises a pixel array (<NUM>) located at the distal end of the endoscopic device;
a pulsing coherent light source (<NUM>) for providing light to a surgical site, wherein the pulsing coherent light source is pulsed at an interval that corresponds in time to the operation and functionality of the pixel array of the CMOS image sensor;
a control unit (<NUM>) comprising circuitry for sending data to the CMOS image sensor and receiving data from the CMOS image sensor to create an image frame of the surgical site;
a display (<NUM>) that allows a user to visualize the surgical site;
a first fiber optic bundle (160a) connected to the pulsing coherent light source;
a second fiber optic bundle (160b) connected to the first fiber optic bundle at a junction; and
a vibrating mechanism (<NUM>) located at the junction that causes the light to lose coherence momentarily as the geometry of its path is changed, thereby substantially removing any speckle from the image frame of the surgical site;
wherein the pulsing coherent light source is pulsed in a plurality of electromagnetic partitions, such that the pixel array receives electromagnetic energy and produces a data set that corresponds in time with each of the plurality of electromagnetic partitions.