Patent Document ID: 7722534
Application ID: 11969974
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A fluorescence endoscopy video system including: a multimode light source for producing white light, fluorescence excitation light or fluorescence excitation light and reference reflectance light; an endoscope for directing the light from the light source into a patient to illuminate a tissue sample and to collect reflected light and fluorescence light emitted from the tissue; a camera positioned to receive the light collected by the endoscope, the camera including: a high sensitivity color image sensor; a beam splitter for splitting the light received from the endoscope into at least two beams and one or more optical imaging components that, in combination, project images onto separate imaging areas disposed in the same image plane of the high sensitivity color image sensor; and one or more filters positioned in front of the separate imaging areas of the high sensitivity color image sensor; a light source filter positioned in the light path of the light source that simultaneously transmits the fluorescence excitation light and an amount of reference reflectance light not in a fluorescence detection wavelength band, wherein the amount of reference reflectance light transmitted is a fraction of the fluorescence excitation light such that the intensity of the reflected reference light projected onto the high sensitivity color image sensor matches the intensity of fluorescence also projected onto the high sensitivity color image sensor and wherein the intensities of the projected fluorescence and reflected reference light also match a light sensitivity of the sensor, and wherein the light source filter blocks light from the light source at wavelength in the fluorescence detection wavelength band from reaching the high sensitivity color image sensor to the extent that the light received by the high sensitivity color image sensor is substantially composed of fluorescence emitted from the tissue and minimally composed of light originating from the light source; an image processor for digitizing, processing and encoding image signals from the separate imaging areas of the high sensitivity color image sensor; and a video monitor for displaying corresponding images.