Patent ID: 6899675

Claim:
A color and fluorescence endoscopy video system including: an endoscope for directing the light from a multi-mode light source into a patient to illuminate a tissue sample and to collect reflected light or fluorescence light produced by the tissue; a camera positioned to receive the light collected by the endoscope to produce color or fluorescence images, the camera including: a low light color image sensor having integrated filters with color output; one or more filters positioned in front of the low light color image sensor for selectively blocking light with wavelengths below 450 nm and transmitting visible light with wavelengths greater than 470 nm; and one or more optical imaging components that project images onto the low light color image sensor; an image processor/controller that receives image signals from the low light color image sensor and combines and interpolates image signals from pixels having filters with the same integrated filter characteristics to fluorescence or reflectance light and then encodes the images as video signals; a multi-mode light source for producing light for color imaging and/or for fluorescence excitation and/or for fluorescence excitation with reference reflectance, including a filter selectively positioned in the light path of the light source for producing light for color imaging that simultaneously transmits blue light at wavelengths less than 480 nm and amounts of green and red light, wherein the amounts of green and red light transmitted are adjusted to be a fraction of the transmitted blue light, such that, when reflected from a gray surface, the intensity of the green and red light projected onto the low light color image sensor matches the intensity of blue light also projected onto the low light color image sensor in such a way that the resulting color images are white balanced; and a color video monitor for displaying superimposed video images from the pixels of the low light color image sensor.