System and methods for endoscopic imaging

Inventors

Zhao, Philip • Patel, Neal

Assignees

Endoluxe Inc

Abstract

A portable endoscopic inspection system comprises an endoscope having a proximal end with a flanged eyepiece for observation and a distal end with a lens assembly for insertion into a region of interest. A light port transports incident light to the region of interest along an lighting pathway, and reflected light is transported along an imaging pathway from the lens assembly to the eyepiece. A wireless imaging unit comprises a light source which detachably couples to the light port for generating the incident light, and an imaging sensor for recording images of the reflected light from the eyepiece. The wireless imaging unit comprises a variable coupling system which mechanically couples the imaging sensor to the flanged eyepiece independent of the shape and/or size of the flange of the eyepiece.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a portable endoscopic inspection system that includes an endoscope and a wireless imaging unit. The endoscope has a proximal end with a flanged eyepiece for observation and a handle, and a distal end for insertion into a region of interest. The distal end houses a lens assembly, and the endoscope includes a light port, an illumination pathway that optically couples the light port and the lens assembly to transport incident light to the region of interest, and an imaging pathway that optically couples the eyepiece and the lens assembly to transport reflected light from the region of interest to the flanged eyepiece.

A wireless imaging unit is provided to capture and wirelessly transmit images. The wireless imaging unit comprises a housing, a light source assembly detachably coupled to the light port for generating the incident light when the light source assembly is in an undocked state relative to the display unit, an imaging sensor for recording images of the reflected light from the eyepiece, and a wireless transceiver for wirelessly transmitting the images. The wireless imaging unit further includes a battery, an inductive charging element for recharging the battery, a display unit powered by the battery, and components housed within the housing including the imaging sensor, wireless transceiver, battery, inductive charging element, and display unit.

The system introduces a variable coupling system that mechanically couples the imaging sensor to the flanged eyepiece independent of the shape and/or size of the flange. The light source assembly is configured so that it covers the display unit when the light source assembly is in a docked state. The disclosure further characterizes use of multispectral imaging and a multispectral/light source assembly that is detachably coupled to the endoscope light port, including multispectral light source behavior with selective wavelengths in the range of 365 nm to 540 nm and imaging modes such as narrow band imaging, auto-fluorescence imaging, and white light imaging.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim set includes 1 independent claim (clm-00001). The inventive coverage centers on an endoscope with paired illumination and imaging pathways combined with a wireless imaging unit that detachably mates a multispectral/light source assembly to the endoscope light port and uses a mechanically variable coupling to adapt to different flanged eyepiece shapes and/or sizes while capturing and wirelessly transmitting reflected-light images.

Across the independent claim, the core coverage is the combination of illumination and imaging pathways in a flanged-eyepiece endoscope with a wireless imaging unit. The wireless unit captures reflected-light images via an imaging sensor, wirelessly transmits those images, recharges via inductive charging, and uses a variable coupling that mechanically mates the sensor to the flanged eyepiece independent of flange shape and/or size, with the light source assembly configured to cover the display unit when docked.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications