JP2010134382A - Observation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an operator to operate an object while observing a region which cannot be seen by visual observation when the operator operates the object. <P>SOLUTION: The observation device 1 includes: a face mount 2 which includes an image capturing unit 5 for capturing an image of the object A and a display 7 disposed in front of an eye B of the operator and displaying the image obtained by the image capturing unit 5 and which is mounted on the head or the face of the operator; an illumination unit 6 for emitting first illumination light for observing the shape of the object A and second illumination light having a wavelength different from that of the first illumination light, for emphasizing a specific region of the object A; a wavelength selection unit 9 capable of changing the wavelength incident on the image capturing unit 5 from among the return light from the object A when the object A is irradiated with each illumination light from the illumination unit 6; and an image composition unit 20 composing an image constructed on the basis of the return light of different wavelengths obtained by the image capturing unit 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an observation apparatus, and more particularly to an observation apparatus for a dentist to observe teeth and soft tissues in a patient's oral cavity.

  Conventionally, in order for a dentist to observe the state of a tooth while performing the treatment of the tooth, a head mount type that includes a camera and a display unit that displays an image acquired by the camera and can be mounted on the head of the dentist (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3556829

  However, in the observation apparatus of Patent Document 1, although it is possible to observe caries and lesions that are apparent in appearance only by observing reflected light of illumination light from a light source provided outside the apparatus, in visual observation, There is an inconvenience that early caries on the adjacent surface that cannot be seen and lesions such as oral cancer and tumor cannot be observed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and allows an operator to operate a subject while observing a portion that cannot be seen by visual observation when the operator operates the subject. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention includes an imaging unit that captures a subject and a display unit that is arranged in front of the operator's eyes and displays an image acquired by the imaging unit, and is a face mount unit that is attached to the operator's head or face And an illumination unit that emits first illumination light for observing the shape of the subject and second illumination light having a wavelength different from that of the first illumination light for highlighting a specific part of the subject; Of the return light from the subject when each of the illumination lights from the illumination unit is irradiated to the subject, a wavelength selection unit capable of switching the wavelength to be incident on the imaging unit, and a return of a different wavelength acquired by the imaging unit An observation apparatus is provided that includes an image synthesis unit that synthesizes an image constructed based on light.

  According to the present invention, when the subject is irradiated with the first and second illumination lights having different wavelengths from the illumination unit in a state where the face mount unit is mounted on the operator's head or face, irradiation of each illumination light is performed. At this time, the wavelength selection unit operates, and the wavelength of the return light that returns from the subject and enters the imaging unit is switched for each illumination light. As a result, images based on return lights having different wavelengths are acquired, and these images are combined by the image combining unit and displayed on the display unit.

  Since the display unit is placed in front of the operator's eyes by mounting the face mount unit on the head or face, the operator does not need to support the apparatus with both hands and is displayed on the display unit. The subject can be operated with both hands while observing the subject with the image. In this case, an image that represents the shape of the subject and an image that highlights a specific part of the subject are combined and displayed based on a plurality of different wavelengths emitted from the illuminating unit. The operator can operate the subject while observing an image that makes the image stand out.

In the above invention, the first illumination light may be visible light, and the second illumination light may be excitation light.
In this way, the reflected light reflected and returned from the subject by irradiating visible light is photographed as one return light for observing the appearance of the subject, while the subject is identified by irradiating excitation light. The fluorescence generated at the part can be photographed as another return light for making the specific part stand out, and the images of both can be synthesized. As a result, even in a specific part that is difficult to visually observe in an image that can be visually observed, it is possible to display and observe a composite image that highlights the part due to the generation of fluorescence.

In the above invention, the excitation light may have a wavelength band including 750 nm.
In this way, a fluorescent dye that specifically binds to caries with near-infrared light, such as Hilyte Flour 750, can be excited by the excitation light applied to the subject from the illumination unit. Thereby, even if it is a specific site | part which cannot be observed visually, the to-be-photographed object by the synthesized image which made the said site | part stand out by generation | occurrence | production of fluorescence can be observed.

In the above invention, the visible light may have a wavelength band of 415 nm to 700 nm.
In this way, the reflected light of the white light in the subject can be photographed to obtain an appearance image of the subject, and by combining the image with a specific portion of the subject highlighted, the operator can The position of a specific part can be grasped.

In the above invention, the second illumination light may have a wavelength band including 415 nm.
In this way, using a wavelength band that is easily absorbed by capillaries, it is possible to highlight and display sites where capillaries are concentrated, such as lesions in soft tissues in the oral cavity.

In the invention described above, the second illumination light may have a wavelength band included in a range of 400 nm to 450 nm.
In this way, it is possible to observe the green autofluorescence generated from the interface between the tooth enamel layer and the dentin layer, and the presence and progress of caries due to the low intensity of the autofluorescence. Can be confirmed.

In the above invention, the first illumination light may have a wavelength band including 820 nm, and the second illumination light may have a wavelength band including 750 nm.
In this way, a fluorescent image is obtained by exciting fluorescent dyes that specifically bind to caries with near-infrared light, such as Hilyte Flour 750, with illumination light in a wavelength band including 750 nm. An image of the boundary surface between the enamel layer and the dentin layer can be obtained by near-infrared light scattered inside the tooth by illumination light in a wavelength band including 820 nm. Therefore, the progress of the caries teeth represented by the fluorescence image can be confirmed by combining them.

Moreover, in the said invention, you may provide the control part which switches a wavelength by the said wavelength selection part synchronizing with switching of the wavelength of the illumination light which the said illumination part emits.
In this way, return light having a wavelength suitable for the wavelength of illumination light emitted from the illumination unit can be selected by the wavelength selection unit and photographed by the imaging unit, and appropriate observation based on a clear composite image It can be performed.

Moreover, in the said invention, when the said control part switches the illumination light radiate | emitted from the said illumination part to the illumination light of the wavelength band containing 750 nm, it interrupts | blocks the return light of a wavelength shorter than 780 nm, and is 780 nm or more The wavelength selection unit may be switched so as to transmit the return light having the wavelength.
In this way, as a result of irradiating illumination light in a wavelength band including 750 nm, illumination light having a wavelength shorter than 780 nm reflected on the subject is blocked, and only fluorescence having a wavelength of 780 nm or more generated at a specific part of the subject is blocked. Selective shooting is possible.

Moreover, in the said invention, the said wavelength selection part may be comprised by the liquid crystal filter or the interference filter.
By doing in this way, the return light of a desired wavelength band can be selectively imaged easily.

Moreover, in the said invention, the said illumination part may be provided with the radiation | emission end which can change the radiation | emission position and radiation | emission direction with respect to the said face mount part.
In this way, the emission end can be set to a position and direction suitable for observation according to the observation mode. For example, in the case of fluorescence observation, since the fluorescence is weak, it is necessary to irradiate high intensity excitation light. In such a case, bright fluorescence can be obtained by radiating high-intensity excitation light with the emission end placed close to a specific part of the subject. Also, when observing the progress of dental caries in the tooth, it is effective to make illumination light incident from a direction different from the observation direction and observe the return light scattered inside the tooth and emitted outside the tooth. is there. In that case, it is possible to perform effective observation by moving the emission end and making illumination light incident from a desired direction.

Moreover, in the said invention, the said output end may be provided in the front-end | tip part of the curved treatment tool.
By doing in this way, the position and direction of the output end when the distal end portion of the treatment instrument is inserted into the oral cavity can be freely set.

In the above invention, the image storage unit stores a three-dimensional image inside the subject, the imaging unit includes two imaging units arranged at a predetermined convergence angle, and the image synthesis unit includes The image acquired by the imaging unit and the three-dimensional image stored in the image storage unit may be combined.
By doing in this way, the three-dimensional appearance image of the subject and the image of the specific part can be acquired by the two imaging means having a predetermined convergence angle, and the inside of the subject stored in the image storage unit can be obtained. By compositing together with the three-dimensional image, the appearance image and the image of the specific part can be observed in association with the three-dimensional image inside the subject. An example of the 3D image inside the subject is a CT image.

    According to the present invention, when an operator manipulates a subject, the subject can be manipulated while observing a portion that cannot be seen by visual observation.

Hereinafter, an observation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The observation apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for an operator such as a dentist to observe the state of the tooth A while performing a treatment on the tooth A. As shown in FIG. A face mount unit 2 to be mounted on a person's head or face, a handheld unit 3 that can be gripped by an operator and moved freely with respect to the face mount unit 2, and drives these And a controller 4 for performing the operation.

The face mount unit 2 includes an imaging unit 5 that captures the tooth A that is a subject, a first illumination unit 6 that irradiates the tooth A with illumination light, and a display unit that displays an image acquired by the imaging unit 5. 7.
The imaging unit 5 includes an imaging lens 8 that collects light from the tooth A with an optical axis adjusted in substantially the same direction as the operator's line of sight, and a predetermined amount of light collected by the imaging lens 8. A liquid crystal filter (wavelength selection unit) 9 that transmits light in the wavelength band and a color CCD camera 10 that captures the light transmitted through the liquid crystal filter 9 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the color CCD camera 10 divides images into three wavelength bands and acquires images. The first wavelength band corresponds to a blue wavelength band of 400 to 500 nm. The second wavelength band corresponds to a green wavelength band of 500 to 600 nm. The third wavelength band corresponds to the red to near infrared wavelength band of 600 to 900 nm.

  The first illumination unit 6 is disposed so as to irradiate light emitted from the two light emitting units 11 sandwiching the imaging unit 5 and the light emitted from the light emitting unit 11 in the vicinity of the focal position of the imaging lens 8. The illumination lens 12 and the infrared cut filter 13 provided so that insertion / removal is possible between the light emission part 11 and the illumination lens 12 are provided. The light emitting unit 11 includes a plurality of LEDs (not shown) that emit light in the wavelength bands of 415 nm, 450 nm, 540 nm, 650 nm, and 750 nm, respectively.

  The display unit 7 includes two small color LCDs 14 disposed in front of the eyes of the operator's eyes B when the face mount unit 2 is mounted on the operator's head or face, and an eyepiece optical system (not shown). It has.

  The handheld unit 3 includes a light emitting unit 15 including a plurality of LEDs (not shown) that emit light having wavelength bands of 415 nm, 750 nm, and 820 nm in the center wavelength, and guides the light emitted from the light emitting unit 15 to A second illumination unit 17 including an optical fiber probe 16 that is emitted from the emission end 16a is provided.

FIG. 2 shows the wavelength characteristics of each LED, infrared cut filter 13 and liquid crystal filter 9.
The first LED is provided in the light emitting unit 11 and generates light having a wavelength band suitable for blue illumination. For example, the center wavelength is set to 450 nm and the half width is set to about 30 nm.
The second LED is provided in the light emitting unit 11 and generates light having a wavelength band suitable for green illumination. For example, the center wavelength is set to 540 nm and the half width is set to about 30 nm.
The third LED is provided in the light emitting unit 11 and generates light having a wavelength band suitable for red illumination. For example, the center wavelength is set to 650 nm and the half width is set to about 30 nm.

The fourth and fifth LEDs generate light having a wavelength band suitable for exciting a fluorescent dye that specifically binds to caries in the near infrared region. For example, when the HiLyte Flour 750 is excited, the center wavelength is set to 750 nm and the half width is set to about 30 nm. Here, the fourth LED is provided in the light emitting unit 11, and the fifth LED is provided in the light emitting unit 15.
FIG. 4 shows the excitation and fluorescence characteristics of HiLyte Flour 750. HiLyte Flour 750 has the property of adhering specifically to caries. As shown in FIG. 4, HiLyte Flour 750 has the highest absorption characteristic for near-infrared light having a wavelength of 750 nm, and generates fluorescence having a peak wavelength of 782 nm.

6th LED is provided in the light emission part 15, and generates the light which has a wavelength band with the high transmittance | permeability of the tooth | gear A by the near-infrared light which has a half value width of about 30 nm with the center wavelength of 820 nm.
The seventh LED is provided in the light emitting unit 11 and generates light having a wavelength half-width of about 15 nm at a center wavelength of 415 nm and having a wavelength band that is easily absorbed by capillaries.
The eighth LED is provided in the light emitting unit 15 and generates light having a wavelength band included in the range of 400 nm to 450 nm. Specifically, when observing a lesion with many capillaries, the center wavelength is set to 415 nm and the half width is set to about 15 nm. In the case where autofluorescence is generated from the inside of the tooth A and observed, the center wavelength and the half-value width are not particularly limited as long as the wavelength band is included in the above range.

  Of these LEDs, the light generated from the first, second, third, and sixth LEDs corresponds to first illumination light for observing the shape of a subject such as the tooth A. The light generated from the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth LEDs corresponds to the second illumination light for making a specific part of the subject such as the tooth A stand out.

When the infrared cut filter 13 is inserted between the light emitting unit 11 and the illumination lens 12, the infrared cut filter 13 blocks infrared light having a wavelength of 780 nm or more from the light of each LED.
The wavelength characteristics of the liquid crystal filter 9 change with the supply of voltage so that near-infrared light of 780 nm or more is transmitted when the voltage is supplied (ON), and visible to near-infrared light is transmitted when the voltage is stopped (OFF). It has become.

The controller 4 drives the color CCD camera 10 and converts a signal acquired by the color CCD camera 10 into a video signal, a CCU (Camera Control Unit) 18, an LED of the first illumination unit 6, a second illumination The drive unit 19 that controls the LED of the unit 17 and the liquid crystal filter 9, the image processing unit 20 that performs image processing on the video signal from the CCU 18, and the video signal that has been subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 20 are displayed on the small color LCD 14. An image processor 21, an input unit 22 for inputting an observation mode, and a control unit 23 for controlling the image processing unit 20 and the driving unit 19 in accordance with the observation mode input by the input unit 22 are provided.
In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a mirror disposed on the opposite side of the output end 16a of the optical fiber probe 16 with the tooth A interposed therebetween.

  The control unit 23 controls the drive unit 19 so that the LED of the first illumination unit 6 and the LED of the second illumination unit 17 change the first illumination light and the second illumination light according to the observation mode. Are selectively controlled to emit light alternately (sequentially), simultaneously, or only one side. Further, the control unit 23 performs ON / OFF control of light emission from the second illumination unit 17 of the handheld unit 3 according to the observation mode.

Here, each observation mode input from the input unit 22 will be described.
(1) Normal observation mode It is the observation mode which acquires the color image of the external appearance of the tooth A similarly to the conventional visual observation.
As shown in FIG. 5, the first to third LEDs provided in the face mount unit 2 are simultaneously turned on, and the liquid crystal filter 9 is turned off to transmit light in the wavelength band from visible to near infrared. ing. In other words, the teeth A are irradiated with light emitted from the first to third LEDs, and all the reflected light L ₁ (see FIG. 7) is photographed by the color CCD camera 10.

(2) Caries screening mode This is an observation mode suitable for finding early caries (caries) present on the occlusal surface and adjacent surfaces.
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the illumination and imaging in the normal observation mode and the caries observation mode in which illumination and imaging suitable for observing caries are alternately repeated for each frame.

In the caries observation mode, as shown in FIG. 7, the fourth LED provided in the face mount part 2 and the fifth LED of the handheld part 3 in which the emission end 16 a is arranged on the side part of the tooth A are simultaneously turned on, The liquid crystal filter 9 is turned on. As a result, the HiLyte Flour 750 that specifically adheres to the caries C is excited, and only the fluorescence L ₂ having a peak wavelength of 782 nm generated from the caries C passes through the liquid crystal filter 9 and is emitted by the color CCD camera 10. Acquired as a fluorescence image. Then, by examining the presence or absence of fluorescence L ₂ in the obtained fluorescence image, it is possible to know the presence and magnitude of caries C in tooth A.

  The image processing unit 20 combines the image photographed in the normal observation mode and the image photographed in the caries observation mode. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, an image of the appearance of the tooth A taken in the normal observation mode and a fluorescence image of the caries C when they are present are combined and displayed on the display unit 7. Therefore, the operator can treat the caries C while observing the image on the display unit 7. 8 is an image of the occlusal surface of the tooth A, and FIG. 9 is an image of the side surface of the tooth A projected on the mirror 24.

The fluorescence L ₂ generated from the caries C has a sufficiently low luminance as compared with the reflected light L ₁ photographed in the normal observation mode. I can't. Therefore, the brightness of each color image may be balanced by setting the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 in the normal observation mode low and setting the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 in the caries observation mode high. .

  In addition, compared with the fourth LED provided on the face mount unit 2, the fifth LED provided on the handheld unit 3 allows the emission end 16a to be sufficiently close to the tooth A, so that it emits high intensity illumination light. can do. Therefore, the caries C on the occlusal surface and the adjacent surface can be simultaneously imaged by PWM-modulating the fourth LED and the fifth LED to appropriately balance the light intensity.

(3) Occlusal surface caries progress observation mode This is an observation mode suitable for imaging the progress of early caries C existing on the occlusal surface.
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 10, a dental caries observation mode for imaging fluorescence L ₂ generated by exciting HiLyte Flour 750 adhering to caries C on the occlusal surface, and a tooth The internal structure observation mode for imaging the internal structure of A is alternately repeated every frame.

In the caries observation mode, the fourth LED of the face mount unit 2 is turned on, the liquid crystal filter 9 is turned on, and the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 is set high.
In the internal structure observation mode, as shown in FIG. 11, the near-infrared light L transmitted through the tooth A by turning on the sixth LED of the handheld unit 3 and illuminating from the side surface of the tooth A, turning on the liquid crystal filter 9. _{Take 3} Even in this case, the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 is set high.

By irradiating excitation light from the fourth LED and imaging fluorescence L ₂ generated from the caries C, the presence and size of the caries C in the tooth A can be known. In addition, the illumination light from the sixth LED has high transmittance with respect to the tooth A, and the transmission coefficient and the scattering coefficient are different between the enamel layer D and the dentin layer E. Therefore, the illumination light from the sixth LED The image showing the internal shape of the tooth A including the boundary surface F between the enamel layer D and the dentin layer E can be acquired. Then, by synthesizing an image of the fluorescence L ₂ from the caries C of the occlusal surface acquired by irradiation of illumination light from the fourth LED with this image, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. It is possible to observe how far C has reached the boundary surface F. 12 is an image of the occlusal surface, and FIG. 13 is an image of the side surface of the tooth A projected on the mirror 24.

(4) Adjacent surface caries progress observation mode This observation mode is suitable for imaging the progress of early caries C existing on the adjacent surface.
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 14, a caries observation mode for imaging fluorescence L ₂ generated by exciting HiLyte Flour 750 adhering to caries C on the adjacent surface, and a tooth The internal structure observation mode for imaging the internal structure of A is alternately repeated every frame.

In the caries observation mode, as shown in FIG. 15, the fifth LED of the handheld unit 3 is turned on, the liquid crystal filter 9 is turned on, and the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 is set high.
In the internal structure observation mode, as shown in FIG. 15, the near-infrared light L3 that has passed through the tooth A with the sixth LED of the handheld unit 3 turned on and illuminated from the side surface of the tooth A, and the liquid crystal filter 9 turned on. Shoot. Even in this case, the sensitivity of the color CCD camera 10 is set high.

By irradiating excitation light from the fifth LED and imaging fluorescence L ₂ generated from the caries C, the presence and size of the caries C in the tooth A can be known. Moreover, the image showing the internal shape of the tooth A including the interface F of the enamel layer D and the dentin layer E can be acquired by irradiation of illumination light from the sixth LED. Then, by combining this image with the image of the fluorescence L ₂ from the caries C on the adjacent surface acquired by irradiation of illumination light from the fifth LED, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. It is possible to observe how far C has reached the boundary surface F. FIG. 16 is an image of the occlusal surface, and FIG. 17 is an image of the side surface of the tooth A projected on the mirror 24.

(5) Occlusal caries observation mode This is an observation mode suitable for detecting early caries C present on the occlusal surface.
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 18, the first LED and the eighth LED are turned on simultaneously, and the liquid crystal filter 9 is turned off. As shown in FIG. 19, the illumination light from the eighth LED is applied to the region of interest of the tooth A by adjusting the position and direction of the emission end 16 a of the handheld unit 3. According to the illumination light in these wavelength bands, green autofluorescence L ₄ is generated from the boundary surface F between the enamel layer D and the dentin layer E of the tooth A. Therefore, this autofluorescence is converted into a green image of the color CCD camera 10. Get as. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the appearance of the tooth A is imaged by the green autofluorescence L ₄ generated from the entire tooth A, and caries C and C ′ are present in the dark part of the autofluorescence L _4. Can be determined.

In FIG. 19, the caries C reaches the dentin layer E, and the boundary surface F where the autofluorescence L ₄ is generated is lost, so that the autofluorescence L ₄ generated from the location where the caries C is present. The amount of light is very small. On the other hand, since the caries C ′ remains in the enamel layer D, the boundary surface F exists, but the autofluorescence L ₄ from the boundary surface F is scattered and absorbed by the caries C ′. , the amount of autofluorescence L ₄ from locations caries C 'is present, somewhat smaller than normal portion of the tooth a, is larger than the autofluorescence from dental caries C. Thus, by measuring the amount of autofluorescence L _4, it is also possible to estimate the caries of Shintatsu degree.

(6) NBI observation mode This is an observation mode suitable for observing the lesion H of the soft tissue G in the gingiva or oral cavity.
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 21, the second LED, the seventh LED, and the eighth LED are turned on simultaneously, and the liquid crystal filter 9 is turned off. In this observation mode, the light generated from the eighth LED is set to have a half width of about 15 nm at the center wavelength of 415 nm, similarly to the light from the seventh LED. Since the light from the seventh and eighth LEDs is easily absorbed by the capillaries existing on the surface of the soft tissue G, it can be acquired as an image in which the luminance is lowered in a portion where there are many capillaries. Furthermore, by illuminating the second LED with green illumination light, an image of the appearance of the soft tissue G can be acquired, and an image of a lesion H in which many capillary blood vessels exist can be synthesized there. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22, the lesion H present on the surface of the soft tissue G can be highlighted and the diagnosis of periodontal disease, oral cancer or tumor can be easily performed.

  As described above, according to the observation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, an illumination light having a plurality of different wavelengths is irradiated to obtain an image representing the shape of the tooth A and the soft tissue G, and the caries C and the lesion H of the tooth A. Since an image obtained by synthesizing the highlighted image is acquired and displayed on the display unit 7 provided in the face mount unit 2, when the operator performs a treatment in the oral cavity, it is difficult to visually observe the site. There is an advantage that the treatment can be performed while observing a prominent image.

  Further, when the observation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the handheld unit 3, the emission end 16a can be set to a position and direction suitable for observation according to the observation mode. Thereby, for example, when it is necessary to irradiate high-intensity excitation light in fluorescence observation, high-intensity excitation light is provided by placing the exit end 16a of the handheld part 3 close to a specific part of the tooth A. Can be used to obtain bright fluorescence. When observing the progress of dental caries in the tooth, the injection end 16a of the handheld part 3 is placed at an optimum position for observing the return light scattered inside the tooth A and emitted outside the tooth A. By moving, effective observation can be performed. Even in the case where the observation apparatus 1 includes the handheld unit 3 as described above, since one hand of the operator is free, the treatment can be performed while observing an image that highlights a site that is difficult to observe visually.

In addition, in this embodiment, although illustrated about the case where the handheld part 3 which can change a position and an attitude | position freely with respect to the face mount part 2 was provided, it replaces with this and assumes that the handheld part 3 is not provided. Also good. In this case, in the caries observation mode of the caries screening mode, the fourth LED provided in the face mount unit 2 may be turned on and the liquid crystal filter 9 may be turned on.
Such a configuration is useful when observing and treating a lesion that is likely to be directly irradiated with external light, for example, when performing brain surgery, heart surgery, bone joint surgery, or the like.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as the handheld unit 3, as shown in FIG. 23, the handheld unit 3 having the emitting end 16a on the distal end surface of the treatment instrument having a curved distal end may be adopted. Thereby, the emitting end 16a can be arranged relatively freely in a desired direction even in a narrow space in the oral cavity.

In the present embodiment, a two-dimensional image acquired by the color CCD camera 10 is displayed on the display unit 7 for observation. Instead, as shown in FIG. You may employ | adopt the observation apparatus 30 observed with a two-dimensional image.
In the example shown in FIG. 24, the imaging device 5 and the illumination unit 6 are interchanged with the observation device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, and the two imaging devices in which the imaging unit 5 is arranged with a predetermined convergence angle with each other. Means 31 and 32 are provided, and two CCUs 33 and 34 for converting the signals acquired by the imaging means 31 and 32 into video signals are provided.

  The observation apparatus 30 includes position and orientation sensors 35 and 36 for detecting the position and orientation of the tooth A as a subject and the position and orientation of the face mount unit 2, respectively. A data storage unit 37 for storing a CT image showing a dimensional internal structure is provided. Based on the outputs from the position and orientation sensors 35 and 36, the angle and size of the CT image stored in the data storage unit 37 are matched with the acquired image and size of the tooth A in 3D. Adjustment is performed in the image processing unit 38.

  The CT image with the adjusted angle and size is combined with the video signal converted by the CCUs 33 and 34 in the image processing unit 20 to be associated with the internal structure of the tooth A represented by the CT image. There is an advantage that more advanced treatment of the tooth A can be performed while performing the three-dimensional observation of the caries C attached.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the tooth | gear A and the soft tissue G in the oral cavity were illustrated as a to-be-photographed object, it replaces with this and you may employ | adopt another arbitrary site | part as a to-be-photographed object. Examples thereof include organs such as brain and heart, and bones.
Further, ICG (Indocyanine Green) may be used as a fluorescent dye that specifically binds to caries. In this case, for the fourth and fifth LEDs, for example, the center wavelength is set to 780 nm and the half width is set to about 30 nm. The infrared cut filter 13 is set to block infrared light having a wavelength of 800 nm or more, and the liquid crystal filter 9 is set to transmit near infrared light having a wavelength of 800 nm or more.
Further, instead of the liquid crystal filter 9, an interference filter may be employed.
In addition, the light emitting units 11 and 15 may include an LD (Laser Diode), an SLD (Super Luminescence Diode), or the like instead of the LED.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing the observation device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the wavelength characteristic of LED with which the observation apparatus of FIG. 1 was equipped, the liquid crystal filter, and the infrared cut filter. It is a graph which shows the wavelength characteristic of the sensitivity of the color CCD camera with which the observation apparatus of FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a graph which shows the excitation and the fluorescence characteristic of the fluorescent pigment | dye used for the fluorescence observation using the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the illumination part and liquid crystal filter in the normal observation mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the illumination part, a liquid crystal filter, and a color CCD camera in the caries screening mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the direction of illumination in the caries screening mode of FIG. 6, and the return light from a tooth. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the occlusal surface of a tooth image | photographed by the caries screening mode of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the image of the side surface of the tooth image | photographed by the caries screening mode of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the illumination part, a liquid crystal filter, and a color CCD camera in the occlusal surface caries progress observation mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the direction of illumination in the observation mode of FIG. 10, and the return light from a tooth. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the occlusal surface of a tooth image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the side surface of the tooth image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the illumination part, a liquid crystal filter, and a color CCD camera in the adjacent surface caries progress observation mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the direction of illumination in the observation mode of FIG. 14, and the return light from a tooth. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the occlusal surface of a tooth image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the side surface of the tooth image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the illumination part and liquid crystal filter in the occlusal surface caries observation mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the direction of illumination in the observation mode of FIG. 18, and the return light from a tooth. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the occlusal surface of a tooth image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the direction of illumination and the return light from the tooth in the NBI observation mode by the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an image of the soft tissue and lesion image | photographed by the observation mode of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the handheld part of the observation apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the observation apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A tooth (subject)
B Eye G Soft tissue (subject)
L ₁ reflected light (return light)
L ₂ fluorescence (return light)
L ₃ near-infrared light (return light)
1,30 Observation device 2 Face mount part 3 Handheld part (illumination part)
6 Illumination unit 7 Display unit 8 Imaging unit 9 Liquid crystal filter (wavelength selection unit)
16a emitting end 20 image processing unit (image composition unit)
23 control unit 31, 32 photographing means 37 data storage unit (image storage unit)

Claims (13)

An imaging unit that captures a subject; a display unit that is disposed in front of the operator's eyes and displays an image acquired by the imaging unit; and a face mount unit that is attached to the operator's head or face;
An illumination unit that emits first illumination light for observing the shape of the subject and second illumination light having a wavelength different from that of the first illumination light for highlighting a specific part of the subject;
A wavelength selection unit capable of switching a wavelength to be incident on the imaging unit among the return light from the subject when each illumination light from the illumination unit is irradiated on the subject; and
An observation apparatus comprising: an image synthesis unit that synthesizes images constructed based on return lights having different wavelengths acquired by the imaging unit.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first illumination light is visible light, and the second illumination light is excitation light.   The observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the excitation light has a wavelength band including 750 nm.   The observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the visible light has a wavelength band of 415 nm to 700 nm.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second illumination light has a wavelength band including 415 nm.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second illumination light has a wavelength band included in a range of 400 nm to 450 nm.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first illumination light has a wavelength band including 820 nm, and the second illumination light has a wavelength band including 750 nm.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that switches a wavelength by the wavelength selection unit in synchronization with switching of a wavelength of illumination light emitted from the illumination unit.   When the control unit switches the illumination light emitted from the illumination unit to illumination light having a wavelength band including 750 nm, the control unit blocks return light having a wavelength shorter than 780 nm and transmits return light having a wavelength of 780 nm or more. The observation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the wavelength selection unit is switched.   The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength selection unit is configured by a liquid crystal filter or an interference filter.   The observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the illumination unit includes an emission end capable of changing an emission position and an emission direction with respect to the face mount unit.   The observation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the emission end is provided at a distal end portion of a curved treatment instrument. An image storage unit for storing a three-dimensional image inside the subject;
The imaging unit includes two imaging means arranged with a predetermined convergence angle,
The observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image synthesis unit synthesizes an image acquired by the imaging unit and a three-dimensional image stored in the image storage unit.

Images