Microscope lens with integrated wide-field camera and beam scanning device
Inventors
Dickensheets, David • Rajadhyaksha, Milind
Assignees
Montana State University Bozeman • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Publication Number
US-11300774-B2
Publication Date
2022-04-12
Expiration Date
2037-02-11
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Abstract
Handheld devices and methods that integrate wide-field dermoscopy with reflectance confocal microscopy for non-invasive simultaneous capture of wide-field color images of the skin surface and images of the sub-surface cellular structure.
Core Innovation
The invention provides handheld devices and methods that integrate wide-field dermoscopy with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) for non-invasive, simultaneous capture of wide-field color images of the skin surface and images of sub-surface cellular structure. This is achieved by integrating a miniature color camera inside a high numerical aperture (NA) objective lens, enabling the device to command a wide field of view on the surface, while still offering high-resolution microscopic imaging beneath the skin.
The problem addressed is that current clinical approaches require two separate devices in series—one for wide-field imaging and the other for confocal microscopy—leading to limited specificity, variability, and lack of precise co-registration between surface and subsurface images. The inability to accurately and repeatedly position the confocal microscopic field of view with respect to the wide-field image of clinically observed morphology results in uncertainty in interpretation and increased unnecessary biopsies.
The core innovation is the integration of both wide-field and high-resolution confocal imaging optics into a single compact unit by embedding a miniature camera and, optionally, a beam-scanning device directly within the objective lens. This design allows concurrent acquisition of surface morphology and microscopic images, eliminates the need for separate imaging devices or external guides, and maintains or enhances optical sectioning performance through use of an annular pupil. This device and system can also include an integrated MEMS scanner or other beam scanning mechanism to enable three-dimensional sub-surface imaging, all housed within a form factor suitable for handheld probes or endoscopes.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains multiple independent claims that describe inventive features relating to integrated wide-field and microscopy imaging, in-lens camera placement, and an in-lens beam scanning device.
Integration of camera within objective lens for simultaneous wide-field and high NA microscopic imaging
A device comprising a housing and an objective lens with a first lens group closest to the target and a second lens group, with a camera positioned within the objective lens between these groups. The camera is configured to provide video images of the target near the focal point, where the outer portion of the first lens group provides high NA microscopic imaging and the central portion provides low NA wide-field video imaging.
Use of a hyperhemisphere or hemisphere lens with camera at apex
The first lens group may be a single aplanatic hyperhemisphere or hemisphere lens, with the camera positioned between this lens and the second lens group, and adjacent to or coupled at the apex of the convex lens surface. Optional reflecting elements can redirect light to the camera.
Microlens and lithographically patterned aperture for the wide-field camera
The camera includes a hemisphere microlens and a lithographically patterned hole in an opaque film on a transparent substrate to form an aperture, enabling compact integration and optical performance.
Addition of beam scanner or MEMS scanner within the lens for 3D scanning
A system or microscope further includes a third lens group and a scanner, such as a MEMS scanner with a deformable membrane, positioned between the second and third lens groups. The scanner enables scanning of the focus position in three-dimensions within the target space near the focal point.
Concurrent operation of scanner and camera for wide-field and subsurface imaging
The MEMS scanner and the camera can operate concurrently to provide a wide-field image of the target as well as a three-dimensional sub-surface image, accommodating both imaging modalities without compromising either function.
The independent claims establish inventive features covering integration of a miniature camera within the objective lens for combined wide-field and microscopic imaging, specialized lens and camera configurations, and inclusion of in-lens scanning devices for 3D subsurface imaging. These features offer simultaneous, co-registered surface and subsurface visualization in a compact device.
Stated Advantages
Provides simultaneous wide-field and high-resolution microscopic views of tissue, eliminating the need for separate imaging devices and guides.
Enables accurate, repeatable, and co-registered placement of the microscopic field of view within the context of gross surface morphology.
Maintains or enhances optical sectioning performance using an annular pupil, with no degradation of confocal imaging quality.
Allows compact, handheld or endoscopic device form factors suitable for clinical use in challenging or small anatomical sites.
Simplifies optical design when including the scanner in the lens, potentially reducing the number of glass elements required and thus lowering cost and complexity.
Enables agile three-dimensional (x, y, z) scanning and correction of spherical aberration across imaging depths without the need for external relay optics.
Supports rapid, real-time wide-field imaging for improved placement, navigation, and guidance during confocal imaging procedures.
Documented Applications
Non-invasive evaluation and diagnosis of skin lesions and skin cancer through simultaneous wide-field dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy.
Imaging and diagnosis of oral lesions and other epithelial cancers for in vivo clinical microscopy.
Guidance of surgical procedures such as intraoperative mapping of basal cell carcinoma margins in Mohs surgical excision.
Development of miniaturized endoscopic or pencil-sized probes suitable for use in dermatology, intraoral imaging, and potentially other body sites.
Application to scanned-laser imaging modalities including optical coherence tomography, optical coherence microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, second harmonic generation microscopy, and photoacoustic microscopy.
Use in structured light microscopy or white light optical coherence microscopy for contextualizing the microscopic field of view within the surface morphology.
Interested in licensing this patent?