JPH09131307A - Fluorescence observation endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) An object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus capable of converting a monochrome image emitted from an image intensifier into an image that is easy to see on a monitor screen. SOLUTION: A fluorescent image emitted by a living body obtained by an endoscope is amplified by an image intensifier 31 and then picked up by TV cameras 34 and 35 to be displayed on a TV monitor 37. In the fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus described above, the color signal component was superimposed on the signal of the monochrome video imaged by the television cameras 34 and 35, and the image displayed on the television monitor 37 was colored in pseudo color.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus for diagnosing an early cancer or the like by fluorescence observation using an endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When light (excitation light) in the wavelength range of 420 nm to 480 nm is irradiated, normal cells of a living body have an intensity peak of 480 nm to 520 nm in the range of 480 nm to 520 nm.
Fluorescence diagnosis using an endoscope is carried out by utilizing the fact that cancer cells and the like emit fluorescence in the wavelength region of about 0 nm and do not emit fluorescence.

In an endoscope used for performing such a fluorescence diagnosis, an observation image obtained by an objective optical system arranged at the tip of the insertion portion is brought into contact with an image guide fiber bundle inserted through the insertion portion. It is the same as that for normal observation in which the image is transmitted to the eye part for observation.

However, since the fluorescence emitted from the living body is very weak, the brightness of the fluorescence observation image that has passed through the eyepiece of the endoscope is greatly amplified by the image intensifier after the fluorescence observation. It is captured by the camera and displayed on the TV monitor.

[0005]

The image amplified by such an image intensifier is a monochrome (black and white) image, and the spectral distribution of the emission color is almost constant in the wavelength range of visible light.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, the human eye's relative luminous efficiency is high in the wavelength region in the middle of the visible range, and in both the shorter wavelength region and the longer wavelength region, the relative luminous efficiency is relatively high. The visibility is significantly reduced.

Therefore, the light emitted from the image intensifier and having a spectral distribution over the entire wavelength range is considerably different from the relative luminous efficiency of the human eye.
In the long-wavelength side portion and the short-wavelength side portion of the visible range, bright and dark are not clear and it is difficult to see.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus capable of converting a monochrome image emitted from an image intensifier into an image that is easy to see on a monitor screen.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus of the present invention uses a fluorescence image emitted by a living body obtained by an endoscope to enhance the intensity of light with an image intensifier. In a fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus in which the image is amplified by a television camera and displayed on a television monitor after being amplified, a color signal component is superimposed on a monochrome image signal captured by the television camera, It is characterized in that the image displayed on the monitor is colored in pseudo color. The pseudo color is preferably green.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus. Reference numeral 1 is an endoscope insertion portion, and 2 is an operation portion connected to a proximal end of the insertion portion 1.

An objective optical system 4 for forming an image of a subject on the incident end face of the main image guide fiber bundle 3 is built in the tip of the insertion portion 1. The main image guide fiber bundle 3 passes through the inside of the insertion portion 1 and the inside of the operation portion 2, and the emission end surface thereof reaches the eyepiece portion 5. Eyepiece 5
Includes an eyepiece optical system 6 for enlarging and observing the exit end surface of the main image guide fiber bundle 3.

Therefore, an image of the object in front of the tip of the insertion section 1 is formed by the objective optical system 4, and the image is transmitted to the eyepiece section 5 by the main image guide fiber bundle 3, and the eyepiece section 5 is formed. When the television adapter 20 is not connected to, the observation image can be visually observed through the eyepiece optical system 6.

The light guide fiber bundle 7 for transmitting the illumination light for illuminating the object has the exit end arranged in parallel with the objective optical system 4, and the light guide connecting pipe 8 is provided from the inside of the insertion portion 1 and the operation portion 2. Through the inside, the incident end is arranged in the connector 9 which is detachably attached to the light source device 10.

A light source lamp 11 using a xenon lamp is arranged in the light source device 10. The light source lamp 1
The illumination light radiated from the light source 1 is converged and incident on the light guide fiber bundle 7, and the subject is illuminated by the illumination light emitted from the exit end of the light guide fiber bundle 7.

In the illumination optical path between the incident end of the light guide fiber bundle 7 and the light source lamp 11, an excitation light filter 12 that transmits only light in the wavelength range of 420 nm to 480 nm is detachably inserted by the solenoid 13. It is arranged.

The excitation light filter 12 is inserted into the illumination light path during fluorescence observation as shown in FIG. 1, and retracted out of the illumination light path during normal observation. Reference numeral 14 is a filter insertion / removal switch for switching the solenoid 13 on and off.

A television adapter 20 can be detachably connected to the eyepiece unit 5. As the coupling mechanism between the eyepiece unit 5 and the TV adapter 20, various known mechanisms for attaching an eyepiece unit of an endoscope such as a bayonet can be used.

The TV adapter 20 has a built-in beam splitter 21, and the image of the exit end face of the main image guide fiber bundle 3 is built in the head of the TV adapter 20 by an optical path that passes straight through the beam splitter 21. The projected image is projected on the first solid-state image sensor 22. Reference numeral 23 is a projection lens therefor. The video imaged by the first solid-state image sensor 22 is displayed on the first television monitor 24.

One end of an image guide connecting tube 27, through which the second image guide fiber bundle 26 is inserted and arranged, is connected to the side surface of the television adapter 20, and an image of the exit end face of the main image guide fiber bundle 3 is The beam splitter 21 makes
Image guide fiber bundle 26. 28 is a projection lens therefor.

The other end of the image guide connecting pipe 27 is connected to an ultra-high-sensitivity television camera 30 having an image intensifier 31 built therein, and the image of the exit end face of the second image guide fiber bundle 26 is projected onto the projection lens. 32
Is projected onto the image entrance portion of the image intensifier 31.

However, the exit end face of the second image guide fiber bundle 26 and the image intensifier 3
A fluorescence observation filter 33 that transmits only light in the wavelength range of 520 nm to 600 nm is interposed between the first image incident portion and the image incidence portion. Therefore, only the light in the wavelength region of 520 nm to 600 nm in the observed image is incident on the image intensifier 31.

The power supply of the image intensifier 31 is turned on and off by the filter insertion / removal switch 14 provided in the light source device 10, and the excitation light filter 12 is turned on and off.
The image intensifier 31 operates only when is inserted in the illumination optical path.

The image incident on the image intensifier 31 has its light intensity (brightness) amplified tens of thousands of times and is emitted. The image at the emission end is projected onto the second solid-state image pickup device 35 by the projection lens 34. Projected. Then, the image captured by the second solid-state image sensor 35 is the pseudo color circuit 3
It is displayed on the second television monitor 37 via 6.

The image picked up by the second solid-state image pickup device 35 is monochrome, and only the luminance signal is transmitted. Therefore, in the pseudo color circuit 36, the chrominance signal component synchronized by the frequency interpolating method is inserted into the non-signal portion of the gap of the frequency spectrum of the harmonic of the horizontal frequency of the luminance signal.

As shown in FIG. 3, the human eye's relative luminous sensitivity is most sensitive to green light of about 550 nm, and green light appears brightest in photopic vision. Therefore, in this embodiment, such a green color signal component is superimposed on the luminance signal as a pseudo color signal by the pseudo color circuit 36.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of such a pseudo-color signal superimposing portion. The luminance signal output from the matrix circuit 36a to which a monochrome video signal is input is about 550 nm in the adding circuit 36b. The green color signal component is superimposed and the video signal is displayed on the second television monitor 37.

In the apparatus of the embodiment configured as described above, when the excitation light filter 12 is retracted from the illumination light path by the filter insertion / removal switch 14, the object is in the normal wavelength range. Illuminated with illumination light, the image is captured by the first solid-state image sensor 22, and a normal endoscope observation image is displayed on the first television monitor 24. Since the image intensifier 31 is off, there is no display on the second television monitor 37.

By the filter insertion / removal switch 14, the configuration shown in FIG.
When the excitation light filter 12 is inserted into the illumination light path as shown in FIG. 3, only the light in the wavelength region of 420 nm to 480 nm is irradiated on the subject. At the same time, the image intensifier 31 is turned on.

Then, the image intensifier 31
Since the fluorescence observation filter 33 inserted in front of the filter transmits only light in the wavelength range of 520 nm to 600 nm,
Only the fluorescence image in the wavelength region of 520 nm to 600 nm excited by the normal cells of the living body by the excitation light of the wavelength of 0 nm to 480 nm is incident on the image intensifier 31, the brightness is amplified, and the image is pseudo-color circuit 36.
The second television monitor 37 after being processed as described above.
Will be displayed.

Therefore, the fluorescent image displayed on the second television monitor 37 is colored by the pseudo color of green, and can be observed as an image which is clearer and brighter than the original monochrome image.

The wavelength range transmitted by the fluorescence observation filter 33 may be set to about 480 nm to 520 nm according to the intensity peak of fluorescence, and the present invention can be applied to such a case.

[0032]

According to the present invention, a color signal component is superimposed on a monochrome video signal of a fluorescent image whose brightness is amplified by an image intensifier, and an image displayed on a television monitor is colored in pseudo color. As a result, it is possible to display an image in which the contrast is clearer and easier to see than the original monochrome image, and it is possible to improve the diagnostic ability of the fluorescence diagnosis.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit portion for superimposing a pseudo color signal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relative luminous efficiency characteristics of the human eye.

[Explanation of Codes] 12 Excitation Light Filter 30 Ultra High Sensitivity TV Camera 31 Image Intensifier 33 Fluorescence Observation Filter 34 Projection Lens 35 Solid-State Image Sensor 36 Pseudo Color Circuit 37 TV Monitor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sano 2-36-9 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A fluorescence observation in which a fluorescence image emitted by a living body obtained by an endoscope is amplified by an image intensifier before being imaged by a television camera and displayed on a television monitor. In the endoscope device, a fluorescence observation endoscope device characterized in that a color signal component is superimposed on a signal of a monochrome image picked up by the television camera, and an image displayed on the television monitor is colored in pseudo color. . 2. The fluorescence observation endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pseudo color is green.