JP6394374B2 - Illumination apparatus, illumination method, and observation apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an illumination device, an illumination method, and an observation device.

  In recent years, a laser is being used as a light source for an observation apparatus for observing a patient's surgical field such as an endoscope apparatus or a microscope apparatus, instead of a lamp light source that has been widely used so far. Advantages of using a laser as the light source include, for example, low power consumption due to the high electro-optic conversion efficiency of the light source, and the combination with the light absorption characteristics of tissues such as blood vessels because the wavelength band is narrow. This makes it easier to emphasize and observe the tissue. Furthermore, when a laser is used as a light source in an endoscope apparatus, for example, it can be expected to reduce power consumption due to its high optical coupling efficiency to the light guide, and the high directivity of the laser light makes it more sensitive. A further advantage is that, for example, an endoscope insertion portion having a small diameter and high optical coupling efficiency to the diameter light guide can be realized.

  Here, in observation using laser light, various techniques have been developed in order to improve the image quality of the observed image. For example, when an object is irradiated with laser light and the irradiation field is observed, a bright and dark spot pattern may appear due to the high coherence of the laser light. This phenomenon occurs because random light interference occurs on the rough surface of the object, and an interference pattern having a random intensity distribution appears. Such a spotted pattern is called speckle noise and can hinder irradiation field observation. Therefore, in order to suppress the generation of speckle noise and obtain a higher quality observation image, techniques exemplified in the following Patent Documents 1 to 5 have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses an endoscope system that uses a bundle fiber obtained by bundling a plurality of optical fibers having an optical path difference length equal to or greater than a coherence length as a noise reduction device.

  For example, Patent Document 2 below discloses an endoscope light source device that uses a plurality of modules that output intensity-modulated laser light through optical fibers, bundles the optical fibers, and further optically couples them into a single optical fiber. Has been.

  For example, Patent Document 3 below discloses an illuminating device including a high-frequency superimposing unit that superimposes a high-frequency signal on a drive current supplied to a semiconductor laser that is a light source to oscillate the semiconductor laser in multimode.

  For example, Patent Document 4 below discloses an endoscope in which a vibrating means for vibrating an optical fiber is disposed in an endoscope insertion portion.

  For example, Patent Document 5 below discloses an endoscope system that performs image processing on an obtained captured image and outputs it as an observation image.

  On the other hand, in the observation apparatus, a normal observation mode for observing the surgical field with light of a wide wavelength band such as white light and fluorescence excited by light of a predetermined wavelength band (hereinafter also referred to as narrow band light). There are those that can be switched to a special observation mode in which only the portion of the surgical field where the fluorescence is emitted is intensively observed by detection. In such an observation apparatus, the irradiation light is switched between white light and narrowband light according to switching of the observation mode.

  Here, when the white light and the narrow band light are switched, it is desirable that these lights are guided on the same optical axis and irradiated to the surgical field. When white light and narrow-band light are irradiated along different optical paths, there is a possibility that the irradiation angle of white light and the narrow-band light on the operative field may be different from each other. There is a risk that the visibility of the observation image by the user may be reduced, such as the appearance of shadows, changing between the observation image obtained in the mode (normal observation image) and the observation image obtained in the special observation mode (fluorescence observation image). Because there is.

  Examples of observation devices that can switch between white light and narrow-band light and that are irradiated with these lights guided on the same optical axis include those shown in Patent Documents 6 to 9 below. Proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 6 below discloses an endoscope apparatus in which white light or laser light (that is, narrow-band light) is guided on the same optical axis via a half mirror.

  For example, in Patent Document 7 described below, white light and laser light are combined on the same optical axis by a combining member configured by combining a transmission unit that transmits white light and a reflection unit that reflects laser light. An endoscope light source device is disclosed.

  For example, Patent Documents 8 and 9 listed below disclose an endoscope light source device in which white light or laser light is guided on the same optical axis via a dichroic mirror.

JP 2008-043493 A JP 2009-240560 A JP 2010-042153 A JP 2010-172651 A JP 2012-005785 A JP 2009-131696 A JP 2012-081133 A JP 2005-342033 A JP 2006-000157 A

  However, in the above Patent Document 1, a bundle fiber device whose strand length is equal to or longer than the coherence length, in the above Patent Document 2, a multi-fiber light source device and an intensity modulator, in the above Patent Document 3, a high frequency superposition circuit, and in the above Patent Document 4, a machine In addition to the image processing device and the configuration for realizing the function as the light source, the above-described Patent Document 5 requires an additional device in addition to an image processing device, which increases the size of the entire device and reduces speckle noise ( In other words, a separate cost for high image quality) is required. In addition, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 6 to 9, for example, reduction of speckle noise is not considered, and it is difficult to say that high quality observation images are sufficiently studied.

  In this way, in the observation apparatus for observing the patient's operative field, the technology for realizing both switching the wavelength band of the irradiation light according to the observation application and obtaining a higher quality observation image, Until now, it has not been fully studied. In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a new and improved illumination device, illumination method, and observation device that can simultaneously switch the wavelength band of irradiation light and obtain a higher quality observation image. To do.

  According to the present disclosure, the first light source unit that emits white light, the second light source unit that emits laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands included in the wavelength band of the white light, and the second light source unit A diffusion member that generates a secondary light source by diffusing the laser light emitted from the light source unit, and the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source are combined. A dichroic mirror that attenuates a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light in the white light and attenuates the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light to the white light. On the other hand, an illuminating device that multiplexes the laser beams is provided.

  Further, according to the present disclosure, white light is emitted from the first light source unit, and laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands included in the wavelength band of the white light is emitted from the second light source unit. And generating a secondary light source by diffusing the laser light emitted from the second light source unit by the diffusing member, and the white light emitted from the first light source unit by the dichroic mirror Combining the laser light emitted from the secondary light source, and the dichroic mirror attenuates the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light in the white light and corresponds to the laser light An illumination method is provided in which the laser light is combined with the white light having attenuated wavelength band components.

  According to the present disclosure, there is provided an illuminating device that outputs at least one of white light and excitation light irradiated to a patient's operative field, and the illuminating device includes a first light source unit that emits white light; A second light source unit that emits laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands including a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light included in the wavelength band of the white light, and emitted from the second light source unit A diffusing member that generates a secondary light source by diffusing laser light; and a dichroic mirror that combines the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source. The dichroic mirror attenuates the wavelength band component corresponding to the laser beam in the white light and applies the laser beam to the white light in which the wavelength band component corresponding to the laser beam is attenuated. To wave observation device is provided.

  According to this indication, the 1st light source part which radiate | emits white light and the 2nd light source part which radiate | emits the laser beam of the several predetermined wavelength band contained in the wavelength band of white light are provided. Therefore, the wavelength band of the irradiation light can be switched by appropriately controlling the driving of these light source units. A diffusion member for diffusing the laser light is provided on the optical path of the laser light having a plurality of wavelength bands emitted from the second light source unit. Since the divergence angle of each laser beam is unified by the diffusing member, color unevenness can be reduced when irradiating the laser beam, or light in which the laser beam and white light are combined, The quality of the observation image can be further improved. Thus, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve both switching of the wavelength band of irradiation light and obtaining a higher quality observation image.

  As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve both switching of the wavelength band of irradiation light and obtaining a higher quality observation image. Note that the above effects are not necessarily limited, and any of the effects shown in the present specification, or other effects that can be grasped from the present specification, together with the above effects or instead of the above effects. May be played.

It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the illuminating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the light guide into which the output light from the illuminating device shown in FIG. 1 injects. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the reduction effect of the speckle noise by the illuminating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the illuminating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of an illuminating device in case both white light and a laser beam are combined as a diverging light. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of an illuminating device in case the light source of the further wavelength band is added. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the endoscope apparatus with which the illuminating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment, 2nd Embodiment, and each modification was applied. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the microscope apparatus to which the illuminating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment, 2nd Embodiment, and each modification was applied. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the irradiation range of the irradiation light in an observation site | part.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. 1. First embodiment 1-1. Configuration of illumination device 1-2. 1. Speckle noise reduction effect Second embodiment 3. Modification 3-1. Modification in which both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light 3-2. 3. Modification in which a light source of a further wavelength band is added Application example 4-1. About PDD and PDT 4-2. Endoscope apparatus 4-2-1. Configuration of endoscope apparatus 4-2-2. Operation of endoscope apparatus 4-2-3. Other configuration examples of endoscope apparatus 4-3. Microscope device 4-3-1. Configuration of microscope apparatus 4-3-2. 4. Operation of the microscope apparatus Supplement

(1. First embodiment)
(1-1. Configuration of Lighting Device)
With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the structure of the illuminating device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this indication is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a lighting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration of a light guide into which output light from the illumination device shown in FIG. 1 is incident. 3-5 is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the characteristic of the dichroic mirror of the illuminating device shown in FIG.

  Note that the illumination device according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment to be described later can be suitably applied as a light source unit of an observation device that observes a patient's surgical site such as an endoscope device or a microscope device. Below, the case where the illuminating device which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment is applied to the endoscope apparatus except the following (4-3. Microscope apparatus) as an example is demonstrated. When the illuminating device according to the first and second embodiments is applied to an endoscope device, light emitted from the illuminating device is incident on an end portion of a light guide that continues in the lens barrel of the endoscope. Therefore, in each drawing showing the configuration of the illumination device below, one end of the light guide into which light is incident is shown.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light and a first collimating optical system 103. The illumination device 10 includes a second light source unit 120 including at least one laser light source that emits light in a predetermined wavelength band, a coupling optical system 105, an optical fiber 107, and a third collimating optical system 109. And a diffusing member 111, a second collimating optical system 113, a dichroic mirror 115, and a condenser optical system 117. Although not shown, the lighting device 10 includes a drive control unit that controls driving of the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 (first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and FIG. 10 described later). Corresponding to the second light source drive control unit 1123).

  The white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 passes through the first collimating optical system 103 to become substantially parallel light and enters the dichroic mirror 115. On the other hand, the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 passes through the coupling optical system 105, the optical fiber 107, the third collimating optical system 109, the diffusing member 111, and the second collimating optical system 113 in this order. The light enters the dichroic mirror 115 as substantially parallel light. White light and laser light are combined by the dichroic mirror 115, and the combined light enters the end of the light guide 130 via the condenser optical system 117.

  Here, in the illuminating device 10, as the laser light source constituting the second light source unit 120, a laser light source capable of emitting light in a wavelength band that can function as excitation light in fluorescence observation can be mounted according to the observation purpose. . The illuminating device 10 detects the surgical field with white light, and detects fluorescence excited by light of a predetermined wavelength band (hereinafter also referred to as narrow-band light) to detect the surgical field. It is configured to be switchable between a special observation mode for intensively observing a site where fluorescence is emitted, and a normal / special observation mode for performing normal observation and special observation at the same time (details are described below (4. Application Examples)) To explain). The fluorescence observation in the special observation mode and the normal / special observation mode may be for detecting the autofluorescence of the excitation light irradiation site or caused by various fluorescent reagents (photosensitive agents) introduced into the irradiation site. It is also possible to detect drug fluorescence.

  In the normal observation mode, white light generated by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120 is irradiated to the surgical field. Thereby, a normal observation image based on white light is obtained. In the following description, the white light generated by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120 is referred to as the first light source unit 101. For the sake of convenience, the white light is also referred to as combined white light. In the normal observation mode, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120 is that the combined white light has a desired color (for example, a color similar to the original white light emitted from the first light source unit 101, The color is appropriately adjusted so as to obtain a hue corresponding to an arbitrary standard light source.

  In the special observation mode, white light is not emitted from the first light source unit 101 (that is, the white light source of the first light source unit 101 is turned off), and a laser having a wavelength band corresponding to the observation purpose from the second light source unit 120. Only the light is emitted (that is, only the laser light source corresponding to the observation purpose is turned on), so that the narrow-band light is irradiated to the surgical field. Thereby, a fluorescence observation image based on fluorescence is obtained. In the fluorescence observation image, for example, only a site corresponding to the observation purpose such as a tumor is shown.

  In the normal / special observation mode, similarly to the normal observation mode, the combined white light is irradiated to the surgical field. At this time, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120 depends on the observation purpose. Adjusted to a high intensity (ie, an intensity suitable for fluorescence observation). Thereby, an image in which the normal observation image and the special observation image are superimposed is obtained.

  Hereinafter, each structural member of the illuminating device 10 is demonstrated in detail.

  At least one second light source unit 120 is provided in the illumination device 10. The second light source unit 120 is configured by at least one laser light source that emits laser light of a predetermined wavelength band. In the illustrated example, the second light source unit 120 includes a laser light source 121R that emits red band laser light (for example, laser light having a center wavelength of about 638 (nm)) and a green band laser light (for example, center light). A laser light source 121G that emits laser light having a wavelength of about 532 (nm), and a laser light source 121B that emits laser light in a blue band (for example, laser light having a center wavelength of about 450 nm). Each laser light source 121R, 121G, 121B is provided with a collimator optical system, and laser light in each wavelength band is emitted as a parallel light flux.

  As the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B, various known laser light sources such as a semiconductor laser and a solid-state laser can be used. Or what combined these laser light sources and wavelength conversion mechanisms may be used as laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B. In the second light source unit 120, the driving of the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B can be controlled independently.

  As described above, the second light source unit 120 can be configured by, for example, the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B that emit light of each wavelength band corresponding to the three primary colors of light. By configuring the second light source unit 120 in this way, the color temperature of the combined white light is adjusted by appropriately adjusting the outputs of the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B corresponding to the respective colors, as will be described later. It becomes possible.

  However, the first embodiment is not limited to such an example, and the type of the laser light source that constitutes the second light source unit 120 may be appropriately selected according to the observation purpose, the type of observation target, and the like. For example, when various types of fluorescence observation are performed, the second light source unit 120 is configured to include a laser light source that emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to excitation light corresponding to each fluorescence observation method. obtain. For example, when observation is performed by ICG (Indocyanine green) fluorescence contrast method, the second light source unit 120 is configured to include at least a laser light source that emits near-infrared laser light.

  The second light source unit 120 includes a dichroic mirror 122R that reflects light in a wavelength band corresponding to the red laser light from the laser light source 121R, and a dichroic that reflects light in a wavelength band corresponding to the green laser light from the laser light source 121G. It further includes a mirror 122G and a dichroic mirror 122B that reflects light in a wavelength band corresponding to the blue laser light from the laser light source 121B. The dichroic mirrors 122R, 122G, and 122B combine the laser beams that are parallel light beams emitted from the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B, and output the combined light beams as one light beam toward the subsequent coupling optical system 105. The

  The dichroic mirrors 122R, 122G, and 122B are examples of a multiplexing member that combines the laser beams from the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B, and other arbitrary members are used as the multiplexing member. Good. For example, as a member that combines the laser beams from the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B, a dichroic prism may be used when combining with a wavelength, or a polarization beam when combining with polarized light. A splitter (PBS: Polarizing Beam Splitter) may be used, and a beam splitter may be used when combining with amplitude.

  The coupling optical system 105 is configured by, for example, a condenser lens (collector lens), and optically couples the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 to the incident end of the optical fiber 107. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the coupling optical system 105 is illustrated as a single convex lens for convenience, but the specific configuration of the coupling optical system 105 is not limited to such an example. The coupling optical system 105 only needs to have a function of optically coupling laser light to the incident end of the optical fiber 107, and may be configured by appropriately combining known optical elements.

  The optical fiber 107 guides the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 to a third collimating optical system 109 provided at the subsequent stage. Since the emitted light from the optical fiber 107 becomes a rotationally symmetric beam, the laser light is guided by the optical fiber 107, so that the luminance distribution in the plane is made more uniform.

  The type of the optical fiber 107 is not particularly limited, and a known multimode optical fiber (for example, a step index type multimode fiber) can be used as the optical fiber 107. Also, the core diameter of the optical fiber 107 is not particularly limited, and for example, a core diameter of about 1 (mm) may be used.

  In the first embodiment, at the incident end of the optical fiber 107, the laser light enters the incident end of the optical fiber 107 so that the incident numerical apertures of the laser beams from the laser light sources 121 R, 121 G, and 121 B coincide as much as possible. Is guided. At this time, the focal length of the lens that collimates the laser light emitted from the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B is optimized, or the incident position of the laser light on the coupling optical system 105 (that is, the collector lens) is adjusted. Thus, the laser beam emitted from the emission end of the optical fiber 107 is not a donut-shaped light beam in which the light amount in the vicinity of the central optical axis of the optical fiber 107 is lower than the light amount in the peripheral portion, but the center of the optical fiber 107. It is desirable that the amount of light in the vicinity of the optical axis be a solid light beam that is equivalent to the amount of light in the peripheral portion.

  The third collimating optical system 109 is provided at a stage subsequent to the emission end of the optical fiber 107, and converts the laser beam emitted from the optical fiber 107 into a parallel light beam. By converting the laser light into a parallel light beam by the third collimating optical system 109, it becomes possible to easily control the diffusion state of the laser light in the diffusion member 111 provided in the subsequent stage. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the third collimating optical system 109 is illustrated as a single convex lens for convenience, but the specific configuration of the third collimating optical system 109 is not limited to such an example. The third collimating optical system 109 only needs to have a function of converting laser light into a parallel light beam, and may be configured by appropriately combining known optical elements.

  The diffusing member 111 is provided in the vicinity of the rear focal position of the third collimating optical system 109, and diffuses the laser light that is a parallel light beam emitted from the third collimating optical system 109, thereby secondary light source. Configure. That is, the light emitting end of the diffusing member 111 functions as a secondary light source. In general, the angle of light emitted from the optical fiber 107 varies depending on each laser beam, but by passing through the diffusing member 111, these divergence angles are unified. As described above, according to the first embodiment, the diffusion member 111 reduces color unevenness at the time of irradiation, which is expected to occur in, for example, general existing illumination devices described in Patent Documents 6 to 9 above. Will be.

  The size of the secondary light source generated by the diffusing member 111 can be controlled by the focal length of the third collimating optical system 109. Further, the NA of the emitted light can be controlled by the diffusion angle of the diffusion member 111. Due to both effects, it is possible to independently control both the size of the condensing spot and the incident NA when coupled to the incident end of the light guide 130. Note that the range in which the vicinity of the rear focal position of the third collimating optical system 109 where the diffusing member 111 is disposed is actually not limited, but the range is, for example, It is preferable to include the rear focal position of the third collimating optical system 109 and to have a focal length of about ± 10% on the upstream side and the downstream side thereof.

  The specific type of the diffusing member 111 is not particularly limited, and a known diffusing element may be used as the diffusing member 111. Examples of such a diffusing element include, for example, a frost-type ground glass and an opal type diffusing plate and a holographic diffusing plate that use diffusion characteristics by dispersing a light diffusing substance in the glass. The holographic diffusion plate is a plate in which a holographic pattern is formed on a predetermined substrate, and the diffusion angle of the emitted light can be set to an arbitrary angle. Therefore, the holographic diffusion plate is particularly preferably used as the diffusion member 111.

  Laser light emitted from the diffusing member 111 is guided to the second collimating optical system 113. The second collimating optical system 113 converts the light from the diffusing member 111 (that is, the light from the secondary light source) into a parallel light beam and makes it incident on the dichroic mirror 115. The dichroic mirror 115 may be a dichroic prism.

  Here, the laser light that has passed through the second collimating optical system 113 may not be completely parallel light, but may be divergent light that is in a state close to parallel light. In other words, the second collimating optical system 113 and the condenser optical system 117 described later may be finite conjugates instead of infinite conjugates. In this specification, the light that has passed through the collimating optical system and is in a state close to parallel light or parallel light is referred to as substantially parallel light for convenience. That is, the substantially parallel light is a concept including parallel light or divergent light. In addition, the structural example of the illuminating device 10 in the case where both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light is as follows (3-1. Modification example in which both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light). I will explain in detail again.

  At least one first light source unit 101 is provided in the illumination device 10 and emits white light. The white light source which comprises the 1st light source part 101 should just emit a white light, and the kind is not limited. For example, as the white light source, an arbitrary light source such as a white LED (Light Emitting Diode), a laser excitation phosphor, a xenon lamp, a halogen lamp, or the like may be used. In the first embodiment, as an example, a so-called phosphor-type white LED using a phosphor excited by a blue LED is used as a white light source of the first light source unit 101.

  The white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 is converted into a parallel light beam by the first collimating optical system 103 and is different from the laser light emitted from the diffusion member 111 (in the example shown, the optical axes of each other). Is incident on the dichroic mirror 115 from a substantially orthogonal direction). Note that the white light that has passed through the first collimating optical system 103 may not be completely parallel light. In other words, the first collimating optical system 103 and the condenser optical system 117 described later may be finite conjugates instead of infinite conjugates. That is, the first collimating optical system 103 causes white light to enter the dichroic mirror 115 as substantially parallel light.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the first collimating optical system 103 is illustrated as a single convex lens for the sake of convenience, but the specific configuration of the first collimating optical system 103 is not limited to such an example. The first collimating optical system 103 only needs to have a function of converting white light into substantially parallel light, and may be configured by appropriately combining known optical elements.

  The dichroic mirror 115 multiplexes the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120. In the illustrated example, the dichroic mirror 115 is designed to transmit only light in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light from the second light source unit 120 and reflect light in other wavelength bands.

  In the illumination device 10, the diffusing member 111, the second collimating optical system 113, the dichroic mirror 115, and the condenser optical system 117 are arranged in a substantially line in this order. Further, the first light source unit 101 and the first collimating optical system 103 are arranged so that white light is incident on the dichroic mirror 115 from a direction substantially orthogonal to the optical axis of the laser light. Accordingly, the laser light emitted from the diffusing member 111 and incident on the dichroic mirror 115 is transmitted through the dichroic mirror 115 and incident on the condenser optical system 117. In addition, components of the white light incident on the dichroic mirror 115 other than the wavelength band of the laser light are reflected by the dichroic mirror 115 and incident on the condenser optical system 117.

  As described above, the dichroic mirror 115 attenuates or removes the light component in the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 from the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101, and The laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 is combined with the white light from which the light component in the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light is attenuated or removed. That is, the light combined by the dichroic mirror 115 can be white light in which a predetermined wavelength band is supplemented by the laser light. Details of the characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115 and the characteristics of the light combined by the dichroic mirror 115 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The condenser optical system 117 is composed of, for example, a condenser lens (collector lens), and forms an image of the light combined by the dichroic mirror 115 on the incident end of the light guide 130 with a predetermined paraxial lateral magnification.

  Here, the imaging magnification ([focal length of the condenser optical system 117] / [focal length of the second collimator optical system 113]) by the second collimating optical system 113 and the condenser optical system 117 is the size of the secondary light source. The divergence angle is set to match the core diameter of the light guide 130 and the incident NA. Further, the imaging magnification ([focal length of condenser optical system 117] / [first collimating optical system 103]) by first collimating optical system 103 and condenser optical system 117 depends on the core diameter and incident NA of the light guide. Matching is set so that white light is coupled to the incident end of the light guide 130 with high efficiency.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the light guide 130. In FIG. 2, an end portion of the light guide 130 is illustrated. As shown in the figure, the light guide 130 is configured by bundling a plurality of optical fibers each composed of a fiber core portion and a fiber cladding portion. Here, unlike the general configuration, the condenser optical system 117 according to the first embodiment is 2 so as to fill the area of the illumination target (the incident end of the light guide 130 in the first embodiment) as much as possible. The next light source is configured to form an image. That is, in the first embodiment, in the condenser optical system 117, the size of the image of the secondary light source formed on the incident end of the light guide 130 is substantially the same as the diameter of the incident end of the light guide 130. As described above, the light from the secondary light source may be condensed on the incident end of the light guide 130. Thereby, the speckle noise as the whole illuminating device 10 can be reduced.

  Here, it is known that speckle noise depends on the luminance distribution of the light source. For example, if the light source is an ideal point light source, its luminance distribution can be regarded as a δ function, and all points on the object surface irradiated with light from the light source interfere with each other, making it coherent. Becomes higher. That is, speckle noise increases. Such a light source (point light source) is said to be a coherent light source, and speckle noise increases when a coherent light source is used.

  On the other hand, when a uniform light source of infinite size is assumed as the light source, the luminance distribution is uniform, and interference occurs only at the same position on the object surface irradiated with light from the light source. Coherency is reduced. That is, speckle noise is reduced. Such an infinitely large light source is said to be an incoherent light source, and speckle noise is reduced when an incoherent light source is used.

  Since the light source actually mounted on the illumination device 10 is a partially coherent light source spatially located between the coherent light source and the incoherent light source, the apparent light source size is large, and the luminance distribution of the light source is large. The more uniform, the lower the coherence and the speckle noise is considered to be reduced.

  Here, when the light from the secondary light source is condensed on the incident end of the light guide 130 so that the image of the secondary light source becomes smaller than the diameter of the incident end of the light guide 130, the light guide 130 is changed. Since the optical fiber constituting the optical fiber only partially contributes to the light guide, as a result, when irradiating the observation part with the light emitted from the light guide 130, an apparent light source when observed from the irradiated surface of the observation part There is a concern that the size will decrease and speckle noise will deteriorate.

  On the other hand, when the light from the secondary light source is condensed on the incident end of the light guide 130 so that the image of the secondary light source is larger than the diameter of the incident end of the light guide 130, the incident light guide 130 is incident. There is a concern that vignetting of the laser beam may occur at the end face and the optical coupling efficiency may decrease.

  Therefore, as described above, the light from the secondary light source is condensed on the incident end of the light guide 130 so that the diameter of the incident end of the light guide 130 is substantially equal to the size of the image of the secondary light source. As a result, speckle noise can be reduced while improving the optical coupling efficiency at the incident end face of the light guide 130.

  Here, in the existing general lighting device as shown in Patent Documents 6 to 9, for example, such a configuration for reducing speckle noise is not applied. Thus, according to the illuminating device 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, compared with a general illuminating device, it becomes possible to obtain the observation image in which the speckle noise was reduced more.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the condenser optical system 117 is illustrated as a single convex lens for the sake of convenience, but the specific configuration of the condenser optical system 117 is not limited to such an example. The condenser optical system 117 only needs to have the above-described functions, and may be configured by appropriately combining known optical elements.

  Here, the characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115 and the characteristics of the light combined by the dichroic mirror 115 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3A shows an example of a spectrum of white light emitted from the first light source unit 101. FIG. 3B shows an example of the reflection characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115.

  Referring to FIG. 3B, the dichroic mirror 115 reflects most of the white light wavelength band and transmits light in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120. It has the characteristic to make it. In the illustrated example, the dichroic mirror 115 includes light of a predetermined wavelength band including about 638 (nm) that is the center wavelength of red laser light, and about 532 (nm) that is the center wavelength of green laser light. It is designed to transmit light in a wavelength band of a predetermined width and light in a wavelength band of a predetermined width including about 450 (nm) which is the center wavelength of blue laser light.

  FIG. 3C shows an example of the spectrum of light after the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 passes through the dichroic mirror 115. As shown in FIG. 3C, the white light after passing through the dichroic mirror 115 has a component in the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 attenuated. . As described above, since only the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light is attenuated by the dichroic mirror 115, it is possible to minimize a loss when the white light and the laser light are combined. In addition, when the white light is substantially parallel light and the incident angle has a width, the wavelength shift occurs due to the incident angle dependency of the dichroic mirror 115, and the attenuated wavelength band is also shifted. , The spectrum tends to be more uniform than in FIG.

  Note that the characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115 shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples, and the first embodiment is not limited to such examples. The characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115 can be appropriately set according to the characteristics of the laser light source used as the second light source unit 120. For example, in the case where the above-described observation by the ICG fluorescence contrast method is performed, the second light source unit 120 receives near-infrared laser light (for example, laser light having a center wavelength of about 808 (nm)). Therefore, the dichroic mirror 115 having a characteristic of transmitting light in a range corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light is used.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the transmission characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115. As described with reference to FIG. 3B, the light of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 is transmitted by the dichroic mirror 115 and emitted from the first light source unit 101. It can be seen that most of the wavelength band of white light to be reflected is reflected. In the illustrated example, the dichroic mirror 115 is set to transmit about 90% of the light in the corresponding wavelength band in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the laser light.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a spectrum of light after white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 are combined by the dichroic mirror 115. Yes. In the example shown in the figure, a spectrum is shown when red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light are combined with white light. As described above, in the first embodiment, white light and laser light are combined, so that new white light (that is, combined white light) can be generated. In the first embodiment, the combined white light is irradiated to the surgical field in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode. In the special observation mode, the first light source unit 101 is not driven, only the second light source unit 120 is driven, and laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to excitation light when performing fluorescence observation is input to the surgical field. It is irradiated to.

  Here, for example, in the existing general illumination devices disclosed in Patent Documents 6, 8, and 9, white light and laser light are guided on the same optical axis by a multiplexing member. By appropriately controlling the driving of the light source and the laser light source, or appropriately controlling the retreating of the filter from the optical path and the placement in the optical path, either white light or laser light is selectively irradiated to the surgical field. Is done. That is, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 6, 8, and 9, in the normal observation mode, the white light from the white light source is directly applied to the surgical field. Moreover, in the technique described in Patent Document 7, white light generated by combining white light and laser light by a combining member is irradiated to the operative field. As a result, the white light from the white light source that has passed through the transmission part is directly irradiated to the surgical field. It will be.

  As described above, in the existing general illumination devices exemplified in Patent Documents 6 to 9, white light from a white light source such as a halogen lamp or a white LED is directly applied to the surgical field in the normal observation mode. Can be irradiated. Therefore, the spectrum of white light emitted to the operative field is basically fixed according to the type of white light source, even though it can be adjusted to some extent using various filters. It was difficult to control in detail the spectrum of white light emitted.

  On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, as described above, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 are combined and generated. White light can be applied to the surgical field in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode. Further, the second light source unit 120 can be configured by, for example, laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B that emit light of each wavelength band corresponding to the three primary colors of light. According to this configuration, by appropriately adjusting the mixing ratio of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120, it is possible to control the spectrum of the combined white light and adjust its color temperature. As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to adjust the color temperature on the light source side instead of adjusting the color temperature later than the illumination device by using a filter or the like.

  At this time, the mixing ratio of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 is adjusted, for example, by controlling the drive current of each laser light source 121R, 121G, 121B and controlling the output of the laser light. Alternatively, it may be controlled by adjusting the transmittance of light in the wavelength band corresponding to each laser beam in the dichroic mirror 115.

  As an example, Table 1 below shows a setting example of the output of each light source for realizing a predetermined color temperature in the combined white light. For example, when it is desired to realize white light by the D65 standard light source (x = 0.313, y = 0.329) by the illumination device 10, the outputs of the white light source and the laser light source are set as shown in Table 1 (a). do it. For example, when it is desired to realize white light by the D50 common light source (x = 0.346, y = 0.359) by the illumination device 10, the outputs of the white light source and the laser light source are as shown in Table 1 (b). Should be set. It should be noted that the settings shown in Table 1 below are merely examples, and it is needless to say that the color temperature of white light by other various light sources can be realized by appropriately adjusting the outputs of the white light source and the laser light source.

  The configuration of the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment has been described above with reference to FIGS. As described above, according to the first embodiment, by providing the diffusing member 111 on the optical path of the laser beam, the divergence angles of the plurality of laser beams emitted from the second light source unit 120 are unified. Therefore, the color unevenness at the time of irradiation of the output light from the illumination device 10 is reduced. In addition, the condenser optical system 117 is configured to form an image of light from the secondary light source on the incident end of the light guide 130 so as to fill the area of the incident end of the light guide 130 as much as possible. Speckle noise as a whole can be reduced. Further, the color temperature of the combined white light can be adjusted by adjusting the mixing ratio of the laser light in the second light source unit 120. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, in observation using white light (that is, observation in the normal observation mode or the normal / special observation mode), more uniform and high-quality white light can be used as irradiation light. It is possible to obtain a higher quality observation image.

  Moreover, in the illuminating device 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, as above-mentioned, by controlling the drive of the 1st light source part 101 and the 2nd light source part 120 suitably, normal observation mode and special observation mode are set. It is possible to switch between the normal / special observation mode. As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously switch the wavelength band of the irradiation light and obtain a higher quality observation image.

  Here, in the configuration example described above, in order to increase the utilization efficiency of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120, the transmittance of light corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light is as shown in FIG. The performance of the dichroic mirror 115 was adjusted so as to be about 90%. However, the first embodiment is not limited to such an example. For example, when there is a margin in the laser power, the light transmittance corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light in the dichroic mirror 115 may be set to another value such as 50 (%). In the dichroic mirror 115, the light transmittance corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light in each wavelength band may be set to a different value.

  In the configuration example described above, the white light reflected by the dichroic mirror 115 and the laser light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 115 are combined, but the first embodiment is not limited to such an example. By setting the reflection characteristics and transmission characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115 to be opposite to those described above, the white light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 115 and the laser light reflected by the dichroic mirror 115 are combined. The illumination device 10 may be configured such that the combined light enters the light guide 130 via the condenser optical system 117.

  Moreover, the structure shown in FIG. 1 shows the example of 1 structure of the illuminating device 10 to the last, and the structure of the illuminating device 10 is not limited to this example. The illumination device 10 may further include various optical elements that can be mounted on a general existing illumination device. For example, when a xenon lamp is used as the white light source of the first light source unit 101, the near-infrared band light that can contribute to the heat generation of the living body at the time of irradiation is attenuated or removed after the first light source unit 101. A filter or the like may be provided. Alternatively, a filter or the like for attenuating or removing near-infrared light may be provided in front of the image sensor used for observing the subject. Alternatively, instead of providing the filter, the function of the filter may be realized by the dichroic mirror 115. That is, by adjusting the reflection characteristic or transmission characteristic of the dichroic mirror 115, even when the near-infrared band component is attenuated or removed from the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 at the time of multiplexing. Good.

(1-2. Speckle noise reduction effect)
An experimental apparatus having the same configuration as that of the illumination apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is created, and the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 are emitted using the experimental apparatus. Speckle noise when irradiating the observation object with white light generated by combining with the laser beam to be examined was examined. The results are shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an effect of reducing speckle noise by the lighting device 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 6A represents the ratio (L_LED / L_Laser) between the output (L_LED) of the first light source unit 101 and the output (L_Laser) of the second light source unit 120. . L_LED is the total output of the white light source (white LED) that constitutes the first light source unit 101, and L_Laser is the total output of the laser light sources 121R, 121G, and 121B that constitute the second light source unit 120. In addition, the vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 6A represents the speckle contrast ratio (SCR) corresponding to the speckle amount in the observation image observed using the combined white light. On the other hand, FIG. 6B shows an example of an observation image observed using the combined white light.

  From FIG. 6, the speckle noise amount changes according to the output ratio (L_LED / L_Laser) between the white light source and the laser light source, and the output ratio is 1, that is, the output of the white light source and the output of the laser light source. It can be seen that the speckle noise amount is further reduced when. From the result, according to the first embodiment, it was confirmed that the speckle noise can be further reduced by adjusting the output ratio of the combined white light source and laser light source.

(2. Second Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 7, the structure of the illuminating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this indication is demonstrated. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the illumination device according to the second embodiment. Here, the illumination device according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above, but the coupling optical system 105, the optical fiber 107, and the third collimating optics. This corresponds to the system 109 omitted. Therefore, in the following description of the second embodiment, detailed description of items that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and items that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  Referring to FIG. 7, the illumination device 20 according to the second embodiment includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light, a first collimating optical system 103, and at least light that emits light in a predetermined wavelength band. It has a second light source unit 120 composed of one laser light source, a diffusing member 111, a second collimating optical system 113, a dichroic mirror 115, and a condenser optical system 117. Here, since the structure and function of each member are the same as the structure and function of each member shown in FIG. 1, detailed description of each member is omitted.

  In the illuminating device 20, as in the illuminating device 10 according to the first embodiment, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 is converted into substantially parallel light by the first collimating optical system 103, and the dichroic mirror 115 is incident. On the other hand, in the illuminating device 20, unlike the illuminating device 10 according to the first embodiment, the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 is directly incident on the diffusing member 111 and diffused (that is, the laser light (that is, Laser light from the secondary light source) is converted into substantially parallel light by the second collimating optical system 113 and enters the dichroic mirror 115. Even if the configuration is more simplified as in the lighting device 20, the effect of improving the quality of the combined white light can be obtained as in the first embodiment, and the observation image has a higher quality. It can be.

  The configuration of the lighting device 20 according to the second embodiment has been described above with reference to FIG. As described above, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained with a simpler configuration. Therefore, in addition to the effects obtained in the first embodiment, the lighting device 20 can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  However, as described above in (1-1. Configuration of Illumination Device), the laser light is guided by the optical fiber 107, whereby the luminance distribution of the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 107 is more uniform. The effect is that Therefore, in order to further improve the quality of the output light, it is preferable to provide the optical fiber 107 as in the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment. Whether the configuration of the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment or the configuration of the illumination device 20 according to the second embodiment is adopted depends on the quality of the output light required according to the application and the manufacture of the device. It may be determined as appropriate in consideration of cost and the like.

(3. Modified examples)
Several modifications of the first and second embodiments described above will be described. In the following description of each modification, as an example, a case where a configuration corresponding to each modification is applied to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described. Similarly, the configuration corresponding to each modification may be applied to the illumination device 20 according to the second embodiment.

(3-1. Modification in which both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light)
With reference to FIG. 8, the structure of the illumination device in a modification in which both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the illumination device when both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light.

  Here, the illumination device according to this modification shown in FIG. 8 is the same as the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above, but the first collimating optical system 103, the second collimating optical system 113, and This corresponds to a case where the optical characteristics of the condenser optical system 117 are changed. Therefore, in the following description of the present modification, detailed description of items that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and items that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the illumination device 30 according to the present modification includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light, a first collimating optical system 103a, and at least one that emits light in a predetermined wavelength band. A second light source unit 120 including a laser light source, a coupling optical system 105, an optical fiber 107, a third collimating optical system 109, a diffusion member 111, a second collimating optical system 113a, and a dichroic mirror 115; And a condenser optical system 117a. Here, the configurations and functions of the first light source unit 101, the second light source unit 120, the coupling optical system 105, the optical fiber 107, the third collimating optical system 109, the diffusing member 111, and the dichroic mirror 115 are shown in FIG. Since it is the same as that of the structure and function of these members to show, detailed description about each of these members is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present modification, the first collimating optical system 103a causes the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 to be incident on the dichroic mirror 115 as divergent light instead of perfect parallel light. The second collimating optical system 113a emits the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 and diffused by the diffusing member 111 in accordance with the white light (that is, the laser light from the secondary light source) into completely parallel light. Instead, it is incident on the dichroic mirror 115 as diverging light. In the dichroic mirror 115, the diverging light white light and the laser light are combined, and the combined light is coupled to the end of the light guide 130 by the condenser optical system 117a. At this time, similarly to the first embodiment, the condenser optical system 117a transmits the light from the secondary light source to the light guide so that the light from the secondary light source fills the area of the incident end of the light guide 130 as much as possible. It is comprised so that it may condense to 130 entrance-end surfaces.

  Here, in general, in an LED, in order to obtain a high output, it is necessary to increase the light emitting area. Therefore, the light emitted from the LED has a strong property of isotropically radiating, and a collimating lens is used. Even if it is, it is difficult to make it completely parallel light. Therefore, also in the first embodiment, when a white LED is used as the first light source unit 101, the first collimating optical system 103 converts the white light from the first light source unit 101 into completely parallel light. Difficult to do. In this modification, in response to the case where it is difficult to convert white light into completely parallel light, the laser light is also diverged in accordance with the white light, and both are combined as divergent light. It is a wave. In that sense, the illuminating device 30 shown in FIG. 8 can be said to more precisely illustrate the configuration of the illuminating device 10 when a white LED is used as the first light source unit 101 in the first embodiment. .

  In the present modification, as described above, the white light and the laser light, both of which are diverging light, are combined, and the combined light is coupled to the end of the light guide 130 by the condenser optical system 117a. That is, the first collimating optical system 103a and the condenser optical system 117a, and the second collimating optical system 113a and the condenser optical system 117a are both finite conjugate. The optical characteristics of the condenser optical system 117a are such that the combined light is appropriately coupled to the incident end face of the light guide 130 according to the optical characteristics of the first collimating optical system 103a and the second collimating optical system 113a. It is designed appropriately. Thereby, in the illuminating device 30 which concerns on this modification, the effect of the quality improvement of combined white light similar to 1st Embodiment can be acquired, and an observation image can be made higher quality. .

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, each of the first collimating optical system 103a, the second collimating optical system 113a, and the condenser optical system 117a is shown by a single convex lens for the sake of convenience. A typical configuration is not limited to such an example. The first collimating optical system 103a, the second collimating optical system 113a, and the condenser optical system 117a only have to have the functions described above, and may be configured by appropriately combining known optical elements.

  The configuration of the illumination device 30 in the modified example in which both white light and laser light are combined as divergent light has been described above. As described above, for example, even when a white LED is used as the first light source unit 101 and it is difficult to convert white light into completely parallel light, the first light source unit 101 is not limited to the first light source unit 101. By appropriately adjusting the optical characteristics of the collimating optical system 103a, the second collimating optical system 113a, and the condenser optical system 117a, it is possible to configure the illuminating device 30 having the same effects as those of the first embodiment. .

(3-2. Modified example in which light source of further wavelength band is added)
In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where white light, red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light are combined has been described. In this configuration, in the special observation mode, red laser light, green laser light, blue laser light, or a mixture of any of these laser lights is used as irradiation light. However, depending on the observation purpose in the special observation mode, there may be a desire to use light of a different wavelength band different from these laser lights as irradiation light. Here, as a modification of the first and second embodiments, the configuration of the illumination device when a light source of a further wavelength band is added to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. To do.

  With reference to FIG. 9, the structure of the illuminating device in the modification in which the light source of the further wavelength band is added is demonstrated. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a lighting device when a light source of a further wavelength band is added.

  Here, the illumination device according to this modification shown in FIG. 9 is obtained by adding a third light source unit 119 described later to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above. Correspond. Therefore, in the following description of the present modification, detailed description of items that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and items that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  Referring to FIG. 9, an illumination device 40 according to this modification includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light, a first collimating optical system 103, and at least one that emits light in a predetermined wavelength band. A second light source unit 120 including a laser light source, a coupling optical system 105, an optical fiber 107, a third collimating optical system 109, a diffusing member 111, a second collimating optical system 113, and a dichroic mirror 115; , A condenser optical system 117, a third light source unit 119, and a dichroic mirror 125. Here, since the configuration and function of each member other than the third light source unit 119 and the dichroic mirror 125 are the same as the configuration and function of these members shown in FIG. 1, detailed description of each of these members is provided. Is omitted. The dichroic mirror 125 is also referred to as a second dichroic mirror 125 in order to distinguish it from the dichroic mirror 115 for combining white light and laser light.

  As shown in the drawing, in the illumination device 40 according to this modification, a second dichroic mirror 125 is provided in the middle of the optical path from the first light source unit 101 toward the dichroic mirror 115. The third light source unit 119 is provided so that the emitted light is incident on the second dichroic mirror 125 from a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical path from the first light source unit 101 toward the dichroic mirror 115.

  The third light source unit 119 emits light having a wavelength band different from that of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120. Here, as an example, a case where the third light source unit 119 is configured by an LED that emits ultraviolet light having a center wavelength of 410 (nm) will be described. Although not shown for simplicity, a collimator lens or the like that makes the light emitted from the third light source unit 119 substantially parallel and incident on the second dichroic mirror 125 is the third light source unit 119. It is provided in the latter stage.

  The second dichroic mirror 125 transmits white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and reflects ultraviolet light in the vicinity of the wavelength 410 (nm) emitted from the third light source unit 119. . As a result, white light and ultraviolet light are combined by the second dichroic mirror 125, and the combined light enters the dichroic mirror 115.

  The dichroic mirror 115 has a characteristic of transmitting light in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light from the second light source unit 120, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this modification, the light in which the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser light is attenuated or removed from the light obtained by combining the white light and the ultraviolet light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 115, and the laser light is reflected on the light. Will be combined. Thus, in the illuminating device 40 which concerns on this modification, it is possible to output the light by which the ultraviolet light was superimposed with respect to the output light of the illuminating device 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment as combined white light. Become.

  In the above, with reference to FIG. 9, the structure of the illuminating device 40 in the modification in which the light source of the further wavelength band is added was demonstrated. As described above, according to this modification, the light obtained by superimposing the light emitted from the third light source unit 119 on the output light of the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment is combined white light. Can be output as Since combined white light is generated in the same manner as in the first embodiment except that light emitted from the third light source unit 119 is added, the first implementation is performed in the illumination device 40 according to this modification. Similar to the mode, the effect of improving the quality of the combined white light used as the irradiation light in the normal observation mode or the normal / special observation mode can be obtained, and the observation image can be made higher quality. On the other hand, in the special observation mode, it is possible to irradiate the surgical site with ultraviolet light by driving only the third light source unit 119 according to the observation purpose. As described above, in this modification, light in a wavelength band corresponding to the observation purpose can be output more appropriately while realizing the effect obtained in the first embodiment. The resulting lighting device 40 is realized.

  Here, when adding a light source of a further wavelength band, a configuration in which a laser light source is added to the second light source unit 120 is also conceivable. For example, in the above example, output light similar to that of the illumination device 40 can be obtained by adding a laser light source that emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to ultraviolet light to the second light source unit 120. . However, in general, a laser light source is more expensive than an LED, and the configuration tends to increase in size. By configuring the third light source unit 119 with LEDs as in the illustrated configuration, the illumination device 40 can be realized at a lower cost and a smaller size.

  Note that the reflection characteristic and transmission characteristic of the second dichroic mirror 125 may be set to be opposite to the above-described characteristics. In this case, the ultraviolet light transmitted through the second dichroic mirror 125 and the white light reflected by the dichroic mirror 125 are combined, and the combined light enters the dichroic mirror 115. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the reflection characteristic and the transmission characteristic of the dichroic mirror 115 may be set to be opposite to those described above.

  The second ichroic mirror 125 is an example of a multiplexing member for multiplexing white light and ultraviolet light, and the combination of white light and ultraviolet light can be performed by other polarization beam splitters or the like. It may be performed by a type of multiplexing member.

  Further, the configurations according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the respective modifications described above may be combined with each other as much as possible. Here, as described in (3-1. Modification in which both white light and laser light are combined as diverging light), generally, collimator lenses may be used for the light emitted from the LEDs. It is difficult to achieve perfect parallel light. Accordingly, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 9, when LEDs are used as the first light source unit 101 and / or the third light source unit 119, the emitted light can be divergent light instead of perfect parallel light. . Therefore, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 9, when an LED is used as the first light source unit 101 and / or the third light source unit 119, in combination with the configuration example shown in FIG. The optical characteristics of the first collimating optical system 103, the second collimating optical system 113, and the condenser optical system 117 are preferably adjusted as appropriate.

(4. Application example)
Application examples of the lighting devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the modifications described above will be described. Here, as an application example, the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied to an observation device capable of performing photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The case will be described.

  Hereinafter, PDD and PDT will be described first. And while explaining the general existing observation apparatus which can perform PDD and PDT, the subject in these general observation apparatuses is demonstrated. Next, a configuration example and an operation example of an observation apparatus to which the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied will be described.

(4-1. About PDD and PDT)
PDD and PDT are less invasive tumor diagnosis and treatment methods using photosensitive drugs, and are applied to diagnosis and treatment of early lung cancer, early esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, early cervical cancer, malignant brain tumor, etc. .

  PDD uses the property of a photosensitive drug that emits fluorescence when excited by excitation light in a predetermined wavelength band. Since the photosensitive drug administered to the patient has the property of selectively accumulating in the tumor, the tumor site is diagnosed by irradiating the surgical field with excitation light and detecting the fluorescence emitted from the photosensitive drug. can do.

  In PDT, the property of a photosensitive drug that generates active oxygen when irradiated with excitation light in a predetermined wavelength band is used. As described above, since the photosensitive drug administered to the patient has the property of selectively accumulating in the tumor, reactive oxygen is generated mainly at the tumor site by irradiating the surgical field with excitation light. The tumor site can be treated by degeneration and cell death of the tumor site. Irradiation of excitation light for performing PDD and PDT corresponds to the operation of the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 in the special observation mode in the above-described embodiment.

  When the surgical field is irradiated with only excitation light, the tumor site can be observed, but the normal state of the entire surgical field cannot be observed. Therefore, in general, an observation apparatus capable of executing PDD and PDT has a function of switching or simultaneously performing irradiation of white light for performing normal observation and irradiation of excitation light for performing PDD and PDT. There is something on board.

  For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-000157 (hereinafter referred to as Reference Document 1) discloses an observation that can be switched between irradiation of white light for normal observation and irradiation of laser light (excitation light) for fluorescence observation. A light source device for an apparatus (endoscope apparatus) is disclosed. In the technique described in Reference 1, white light and excitation light are on the same optical axis by a dichroic mirror having a characteristic of transmitting white light emitted from a white light source and reflecting most of excitation light from a laser light source. Is guided. And the white light or the excitation light is incident on the end of the light guide by appropriately controlling the movement of the shielding plate provided in the subsequent stage of the white light source and the driving of the laser light source. As described above, the light source device described in Reference 1 is configured to be able to switch between the normal observation mode and the special observation mode. Note that Reference Document 1 is the same document as Patent Document 9.

  For example, in JP-A-2006-296516 (hereinafter referred to as Reference Document 2), by providing a white light source for normal observation in the vicinity of the entrance of observation light during fluorescence observation (that is, fluorescence), An observation device (microscope device) capable of bright-field observation of a peripheral region of a lesion part that emits fluorescence is disclosed. In the technique described in Reference 2, the wavelength region corresponding to the fluorescence emitted from the lesion has a relatively lower intensity than other wavelength bands as a light source provided at the observation light inlet, or by a filter. By using a white light source that emits cut visible light, it is possible to simultaneously observe the lesioned part that emits fluorescence and the surrounding area. Thus, the observation apparatus described in Reference 2 is configured to allow observation of the surgical field in the normal / special observation mode.

  For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-226067 (hereinafter referred to as Reference Document 3) includes a white light source and a plurality of filters that extract light in a predetermined wavelength band from white light from the white light source. And an observation device having a rotary filter provided in different regions. In the technique described in Reference 3, the first filter that extracts light corresponding to the wavelength band of the excitation light corresponding to the first photosensitive agent from the white light and the second light from the white light are used as the rotary filter. A second filter that extracts light according to the wavelength band of the excitation light corresponding to the sensitive agent and a third filter that extracts light according to the wavelength band of visible light from white light are provided. Then, the rotation angle of the rotary filter is controlled, and the filter through which the white light passes is switched, so that the irradiation with the excitation light and the irradiation with the visible light are switched. Thus, the observation apparatus described in Reference 3 is configured to be able to switch between the normal observation mode and the special observation mode.

  However, the technique described in Reference 1 does not assume a usage method in which white light and excitation light are simultaneously irradiated (that is, a usage method corresponding to the normal / special observation mode). Irradiated in time division. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a shielding plate for blocking white light as described above and a driving mechanism for the shielding plate, which may increase the complexity and size of the apparatus. In addition, because of the configuration of the device, the white light incident on the light guide via the dichroic mirror is white light in which the wavelength component corresponding to the excitation light is cut or attenuated, and the hue is different from the original white light. There is a risk that a high-quality observation image cannot be obtained during normal observation. In addition, the light source device described in Reference 1 is provided with a photodetector that detects the intensity of the excitation light in order to adjust the output of the laser light source. However, white light also reaches the photodetector. Therefore, the detection value of the photodetector is a superimposition of the intensity of the excitation light and the intensity of the white light, the output of the laser light source is not properly controlled, and high quality during fluorescence observation There is a possibility that a correct observation image cannot be obtained.

  In the technique described in Reference Document 2, the optical path of white light for normal observation and the optical path of excitation light for fluorescence observation are different from each other, and the irradiation angles of these lights with respect to the surgical field are also different from each other. Therefore, the shadow appearing in the observation image due to the shape of the operative field can change between normal observation and fluorescence observation. Therefore, there is a possibility that a shadow is generated at a site where no shadow was observed during normal observation, during shadow observation. The part that is shaded at the time of fluorescence observation is the part where the excitation light cannot reach, so the part that is aimed at the fluorescence observation at the normal observation is actually observed when trying to observe the fluorescence. Therefore, it is difficult to perform appropriate observation according to the user's request.

  Further, in the technique described in Reference 3, as in the technique described in Reference 1, a usage method that simultaneously irradiates white light and excitation light (that is, a usage method corresponding to the normal / special observation mode) is assumed. The white light and the excitation light are irradiated in a time division manner. In the technique described in Reference 3, as described above, the rotation filter is used to irradiate white light or excitation light in a time-sharing manner, but the rotation filter and a drive mechanism for the rotation filter are necessary. Therefore, there is a possibility that the apparatus becomes complicated and large.

  As described above, in a general existing technique, normal observation and / or fluorescence observation is performed with a simpler configuration, and a configuration capable of acquiring a higher quality observation image in normal observation and / or fluorescence observation is described. It was not fully examined. On the other hand, according to the present disclosure, by applying the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the modifications described above to an observation device, normal observation and It is possible to achieve both the execution of fluorescence observation with a simpler configuration and the acquisition of a higher quality observation image in normal observation and / or fluorescence observation. Hereinafter, a configuration example of an observation apparatus to which the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied will be described in detail.

(4-2. Endoscopic device)
(4-2-1. Configuration of Endoscope Device)
With reference to FIGS. 10-12, the structure of the said endoscope apparatus in case the illuminating devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied to an endoscope apparatus is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an endoscope apparatus to which the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the modifications are applied. 11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the characteristics of the dichroic mirror of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG.

  In the following description, as an example, a case where a configuration corresponding to the illumination device 20 according to the second embodiment is mounted on an endoscope device will be described. However, this application example is not limited to such an example, and configurations corresponding to the other illumination devices 10, 30, and 40 may be mounted on the endoscope device.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the endoscope device 1 includes an illumination device 1100, an endoscope unit 1200, an image processing device 1300, and a display device 1400. Note that FIG. 10 schematically illustrates an observation site 1500 to which the output light from the illumination device 1100 is irradiated.

(Lighting device 1100)
The illumination device 1100 generates white light for normal observation (combined white light) and excitation light for fluorescence observation. The combined white light and / or excitation light generated by the illuminating device 1100 enters the light guide 130 and is guided by the light guide 130 into a lens barrel 1210 to be described later. Is irradiated.

  Here, the lighting device 1100 corresponds to the lighting device 20 according to the second embodiment described above. However, several members are added to be mounted on the endoscope apparatus 1.

  Specifically, the illumination device 1100 includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light, a first collimating optical system 103, and at least one laser light source that emits light of a predetermined wavelength band. Light source 120b, diffusing member 111, second collimating optical system 113, dichroic mirror 115b, condenser optical system 117, laser line filter 1101, half mirror 1103, photodetector 1105, and half mirror. 1107, a photodetector 1109, and a control unit 1120.

  As described above, the illumination device 1100 includes the laser line filter 1101, the half mirror 1103, the photodetector 1105, the half mirror 1107, and the photodetector 1109 in addition to the illumination device 20 according to the second embodiment. This corresponds to a case where the optical characteristics of the second light source unit 120 and the dichroic mirror 115 are changed. Since the configurations and functions of the other members are the same as the configurations and functions of these members shown in FIG. 7, a detailed description of each of these members is omitted. Further, the control unit 1120 corresponds to a control unit that controls driving of the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b, which are not shown in FIG.

  Here, the second light source unit 120b corresponds to the second light source unit 120 of the illumination device 20 in which the wavelength band of laser light that can be emitted is changed, and the dichroic mirror 115b is the illumination device 20. This corresponds to the dichroic mirror 115 in which the reflection characteristic and the transmission characteristic are changed. Since the other configurations and functions of the second light source unit 120b and the dichroic mirror 115b are the same as the configurations and functions of these members in the lighting device 20, the second light source unit 120b and the dichroic mirror 115b have already been described. Detailed descriptions of items that overlap with the items that have been made are omitted.

  In FIG. 10, the second light source unit 120 b is illustrated in a simplified manner. However, the second light source unit 120 b is formed by at least one laser light source, similar to the second light source unit 120 illustrated in FIG. 7. It is configured. However, at least one of the laser light sources constituting the second light source unit 120b is mounted so as to emit laser light in a wavelength band used as excitation light in the PDD and PDT.

  As shown in the figure, the laser line filter 1101 is provided between the third collimating optical system 109 and the diffusing member 111, for example. The laser line filter 1101 is a so-called band pass filter (BPF) that transmits only light other than a predetermined wavelength band. The laser line filter 1101 is set so as to remove a spectrum other than the laser oscillation wavelength (for example, a spontaneous emission light component of the laser light source constituting the second light source unit 120). When the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b passes through the laser line filter 1101, an extra wavelength band component that may become noise in the observation image is removed from the laser light, and the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light. Only this component is extracted from the laser beam.

  A half mirror 1103 is provided following the laser line filter 1101. Part of the laser light demultiplexed by the half mirror 1103 enters the photodetector 1105. The photodetector 1105 has a function of detecting the intensity of light, and the detected value is provided to a second light source unit drive control unit 1123 of the control unit 1120 described later. Based on the detected value, the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 drives each laser light source of the second light source unit 120b so that, for example, the total output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is constant. To control. Thus, by providing a configuration for monitoring the output of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b, the output can be made more stable.

  A half mirror 1107 is provided on the optical path from the first light source unit 101 toward the dichroic mirror 115b. Part of the white light demultiplexed by the half mirror 1107 is incident on the photodetector 1109. The photodetector 1109 has a function of detecting the intensity of light, and the detected value is provided to the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 of the control unit 1120 described later. Based on the detection value, the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 controls the driving of the white light source of the first light source unit 101 so that, for example, the output of white light from the first light source unit 101 is constant. To do. Thus, by providing a configuration for monitoring the output of the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101, the output can be made more stable.

  The half mirrors 1103 and 1107 are examples of a demultiplexing member, and other demultiplexing members may be used instead of the half mirrors 1103 and 1107. As the photodetectors 1105 and 1109, various known photodetectors may be used.

  The control unit 1120 controls the operation of the lighting device 1100 in an integrated manner. The control unit 1120 includes a first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and a second light source unit drive control unit 1123 as its functions. The control unit 1120 includes, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or a microcomputer in which these processors are mounted, and these processors perform arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program. By executing, each function of the control unit 1120 is realized.

  The first light source unit drive control unit 1121 controls the light emission output of the first light source unit 101. Specifically, the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 can control the light emission output by changing the drive current of the white light source (for example, white LED) of the first light source unit 101. As described above, the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 can monitor the intensity of white light based on the detection value of the light detector 1109, and the first light source so that the intensity of white light is constant. The drive of the unit 101 can be controlled.

  The second light source unit drive control unit 1123 controls the light emission output of the second light source unit 120b. Specifically, the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 can control the light emission output by changing the drive current of the laser light source of the second light source unit 120b. As described above, the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 can monitor the intensity of the laser light based on the detection value of the photodetector 1105, and the second light source so that the intensity of the laser light becomes constant. The drive of the unit 120b can be controlled.

  In addition, the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 further has a function of performing control to keep the oscillation wavelength of the laser light source constant by keeping the device temperature of the laser light source of the second light source unit 120b constant. Also good. For example, a thermoelectric cooler and a temperature measuring element are incorporated in the laser light source, and the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 controls driving of the thermoelectric cooler based on temperature measurement information by the temperature measuring element. Thus, the device temperature of the laser light source can be kept constant.

  Here, an example of the excitation light wavelength and the fluorescence wavelength of the photosensitive drug used in PDD and PDT is shown in Table 2 below.

  In this configuration example, the second light source unit 120b is configured to emit laser light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the photosensitive drug used. The dichroic mirror 115b attenuates or cuts light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the photosensitive drug used from the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and is emitted from the second light source unit 120. It is comprised so that it may have the characteristic which permeate | transmits the laser beam (namely, light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the photosensitizer used).

  Hereinafter, as an example, the configuration and operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 in the case where resaphyrin is used as a photosensitive drug will be described. In the configuration example described in (2. Second Embodiment), the second light source unit 120b combines and emits laser beams having three different wavelength bands. Here, In order to simplify the description, the second light source unit 120b will be described assuming that it only emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of resorphyrin. This corresponds to a state in which only a laser light source capable of emitting laser light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin is driven among the plurality of laser light sources constituting the second light source unit 120b.

  The characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115b when resaphyrin is used as the photosensitive drug will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 11, the spectrum of white light emitted from the first light source unit 101, the spectrum of laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b, and the transmission characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115b are shown in the same graph. Has been.

  As illustrated, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 has a broad emission spectrum including a wavelength band of approximately 400 (nm) to 750 (nm). On the other hand, the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b has a narrow-band emission spectrum in which the oscillation peak wavelength corresponds to the excitation light wavelength (664 (nm)) of rezaphyrin.

  The dichroic mirror 115b has a bandpass characteristic that transmits light in a wavelength band of about several tens (nm) with the wavelength of the excitation light (that is, the peak wavelength of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b) as the center. In the illustrated example, the dichroic mirror 115b has a characteristic of transmitting light in a wavelength band of about 20 (nm) centering on the excitation light wavelength (664 (nm)) of reserphyrin.

  FIG. 12 shows the spectrum of the light combined by the dichroic mirror 115b. As shown in the drawing, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 attenuates a component having a bandwidth of about 20 (nm) centered on 664 (nm), which is the excitation light wavelength of rezaphyrin, and is about 400. It has a broadband spectral shape divided into two, from (nm) to 654 (nm) and from about 674 (nm) to 750 (nm). On the other hand, the spectral shape after passing through the laser line filter 1101 is maintained for the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b. The light obtained by combining the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b by the dichroic mirror 115b has a spectrum obtained by superimposing these spectra. That is, in the combined light, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 attenuates the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin, and the attenuated component becomes the second component. It can be said that it is white light (that is, combined white light) generated by being supplemented by the laser light emitted from the light source unit 120b.

(Endoscope unit 1200)
The endoscope unit 1200 includes a lens barrel 1210 and an imaging unit 1220. In the present configuration example, the endoscope unit 1200 is configured as a rigid endoscope. The lens barrel 1210 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a light guide 130 (that is, a light guide member) is extended to the tip thereof. The lens barrel 1210 is inserted into the body cavity of the patient, and the light guided through the light guide 130 (that is, the output light from the illumination device 1100) is irradiated from the distal end portion, whereby white light is emitted to the observation site 1500. And / or excitation light is irradiated.

  When the observation site 1500 is irradiated with white light and / or excitation light, the reflected light is guided in the reverse direction through the lens barrel 1210 and reaches the imaging unit 1220. In FIG. 10, the propagation of light in the imaging unit 1220 is schematically illustrated by a dashed arrow.

  The imaging unit 1220 includes an optical filter 1221, a first imaging element 1223, and a second imaging element 1225. The reflected light from the observation site 1500 enters the optical filter 1221 when it reaches the imaging unit 1220.

  The optical filter 1221 is a spectroscopic element such as a dichroic mirror. For example, the optical filter 1221 transmits light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more to be incident on the first imaging element 1223 and transmits light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm). It is configured to reflect and enter the second image sensor 1225. Therefore, the first image sensor 1223 does not receive the excitation light (wavelength 664 (nm)) of reserphyrin, but receives the fluorescence (wavelength 672 (nm)) of resaphyrin. Thus, the optical filter 1221 is configured such that only the drug fluorescence out of the drug excitation light and the drug fluorescence is incident on one image sensor (the first image sensor 1223 in the illustrated example).

  The first image sensor 1223 and the second image sensor 1225 are image sensors that can perform color imaging. The types of the first image sensor 1223 and the second image sensor 1225 are not limited. Examples of the first image sensor 1223 and the second image sensor 1225 include a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor and a CMOS (Complementary). Various known imaging elements such as a metal-oxide-semiconductor (image sensor) image sensor can be used.

  The output of the first image sensor 1223 is input to the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300 described later. The output of the second image sensor 1225 is input to a short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 of the image processing apparatus 1300 described later.

(Image processing apparatus 1300)
The image processing apparatus 1300 generates a captured image (observation image) of the observation site 1500 based on the reflected light from the observation site 1500 detected by the imaging unit 1220. The image processing apparatus 1300 includes a long wavelength band image generation unit 1301, a short wavelength band image generation unit 1303, an observation image generation unit 1305, and an input unit 1307 as functions thereof. The image processing apparatus 1300 is configured by, for example, a processor such as a CPU or a DSP, or a microcomputer in which these processors are mounted. The image processing apparatus 1300 executes arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program, so Each function is realized. For example, the image processing apparatus 1300 may be an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) equipped with a processor and a microcomputer.

  The long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 generates an image of the observation site 1500 based on the output signal from the first image sensor 1223. Hereinafter, the image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 is also referred to as a first image. Since the first image sensor 1223 receives light with a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more by the optical filter 1221, the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 has a relatively long wavelength with a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more. A first image is generated based on the light in the wavelength band. As described above, the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 generates a first image based on light in a wavelength band longer than the excitation light wavelength and including the fluorescence wavelength.

  The short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image of the observation site 1500 based on the output signal from the second image sensor 1225. The image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 is also referred to as a second image below. Since the second imaging element 1225 receives light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) by the optical filter 1221, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 has a relatively short wavelength of less than 670 (nm). A second image is generated based on the light in the wavelength band. As described above, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates a second image based on light in a wavelength band that is shorter than the fluorescence wavelength and includes the excitation light wavelength.

  The observation image generation unit 1305 is based on at least one of the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. Generate an image. The image generated by the observation image generation unit 1305 finally becomes an observation image of the observation region 1500 visually recognized by the user. Here, the specific processing of the observation image generation unit 1305 differs depending on the observation mode. The details of the processing of the observation image generation unit 1305 will be described again in the following (4-2-2. Operation of the endoscope apparatus). The observation image generation unit 1305 transmits information about the generated image to the display device 1400.

  The input unit 1307 is an input interface that receives user operation input. The input unit 1307 is configured by an input device operated by the user, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, and a lever. The user can input various information and various instructions to the endoscope apparatus 1 via the input unit 1307.

  For example, the user inputs an instruction for selecting any one of the normal observation mode, the special observation mode, and the normal / special observation mode as the observation mode to the endoscope apparatus 1 via the input unit 1307. can do. Information about the selected observation mode is input to the observation image generation unit 1305 and the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 of the illumination device 1100, and the observation image generation unit 1305, the first light source. The unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 generate an image or drive the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 according to the selected observation mode.

  Further, for example, the user gives an instruction about the intensity of emitted light from the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 of the illumination device 1100 to the endoscope device 1 via the input unit 1307. Can be entered. Information on the input intensity is input to the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 of the lighting device 1100, and the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source unit drive control unit. 1123 drives the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 so that the instructed intensity is realized.

(Display device 1400)
The display device 1400 displays the image generated by the observation image generation unit 1305 of the image processing device 1300. The type of the display device 1400 is not limited, and the display device 1400 may be, for example, a CRT display device, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, an EL display device, or the like. The user visually diagnoses the image displayed on the display device 1400, thereby diagnosing and treating the observation site 1500.

  The configuration example of the endoscope apparatus 1 to which the illumination device 20 is applied has been described above with reference to FIGS. Note that the configuration of the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 10 is merely an example, and the specific configuration of the endoscope apparatus 1 may be changed as appropriate within a range in which the functions described above are realized. For example, the endoscope apparatus 1 may be further provided with various optical elements provided in a general existing endoscope apparatus in addition to the configuration shown in the figure.

  Further, each function of the control unit 1120 of the lighting apparatus 1100 and each function of the image processing apparatus 1300 do not necessarily have to be mounted on each apparatus as illustrated, and these functions may be executed by any apparatus. Good. For example, some or all of the functions of the control unit 1120 may be mounted on the image processing apparatus 1300. Or conversely, some or all of the functions of the image processing apparatus 1300 may be mounted on the lighting apparatus 1100. In the above-described example, an instruction input related to driving of the lighting device 2100 is performed via the input unit 1307 provided in the image processing apparatus 1300. However, the lighting device 2100 also has the same function as the input unit 1307. The user may input various instructions to the lighting device 2100 via the input unit.

(4-2-2. Operation of endoscope apparatus)
The operation | movement according to observation mode of the endoscope apparatus 1 demonstrated above is demonstrated. In the endoscope apparatus 1, any one of a normal observation mode, a special observation mode, and a normal / special observation mode can be selected as the observation mode.

(Normal observation mode)
In the normal observation mode, broadband light corresponding to visible light in a range of approximately 400 nm to 750 nm is irradiated onto the observation site 1500, and an image of the observation site 1500 is acquired. When the user inputs an instruction to select the normal observation mode as the observation mode via the input unit 1307, the first light source unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source of the illumination device 1100 are input according to the instruction. Both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b are driven by the unit drive control unit 1123.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the output light from the illumination device 1100 is a light (combined light) obtained by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b. Wave white light). Here, in the normal observation mode, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is such that the combined white light has a hue similar to the original white light emitted from the first light source unit 101. It can be adjusted appropriately. In other words, the output of the laser light is such that the component of the wavelength band attenuated or removed by the dichroic mirror 115b is complemented by the laser light from the second light source unit 120b so that the original white light can be reproduced. Can be adjusted.

  In the imaging unit 1220, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. . Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image. In addition, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image based on light in the red band, the green band, and the blue band having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) as the second image.

  In the normal observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 includes the RGB value of the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the RGB value of the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. Are combined to generate a composite image. The composite image generated in this way becomes a normal observation image corresponding to irradiation light in the visible light band (about 400 (nm) to 750 (nm)).

  In the above example, the case where both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 are driven in the normal observation mode has been described. However, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 in the normal observation mode is such an example. It is not limited. For example, even when the white light from which the wavelength band near 664 (nm) corresponding to the excitation light of the resaphyrin is removed or reduced by the dichroic mirror 115b is not an obstacle to the observation of the observation site 1500. Only the first light source unit 101 may be driven.

  In the above example, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is adjusted so that the combined white light has a hue similar to the original white light emitted from the first light source unit 101. However, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 in the normal observation mode is not limited to this example. For example, by appropriately adjusting the output of white light from the first light source unit 101 and the output of laser light from the second light source unit 120b, the combined white light has a predetermined color set in advance by the user. It may be adjusted in a possible range so as to be (for example, a color similar to white light from various standard light sources). In addition, for example, the second light source unit 120b is a light source similar to the second light source unit 120 in the illuminating devices 10, 20, 30, and 40, in addition to the laser beam in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin. May be configured to emit red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light corresponding to the three primary colors. In this case, by appropriately controlling the output of the laser light of each color, the color temperature of the combined white light can be adjusted so as to reproduce the shade of white light from various arbitrary light sources. Note that the adjustment of the color temperature in the combined white light using the red laser light, the green laser light, and the blue laser light may be performed also in the normal / observation mode described later.

(Special observation mode)
In the special observation mode, narrowband light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of resaphyrin, which is a photosensitive drug, is irradiated onto the observation site 1500, and an image based on fluorescence from the observation site 1500 is acquired. The special observation mode is an observation mode used when performing PDD and PDT.

  When the user inputs an instruction to select the special observation mode as the observation mode via the input unit 1307, the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 of the illumination device 1100 causes the second light source unit drive control unit 1123 to perform the second operation. Only the light source unit 120b is driven.

  At this time, the output light from the illuminating device 1100 is a laser beam having no white light spectrum in the spectrum shown in FIG. 12, that is, a laser beam having the excitation light wavelength of rezaphyrin as a central wavelength. In general, PDT irradiates the observation site 1500 with excitation light with a stronger intensity than PDD. Therefore, in the special observation mode, when PDT is performed, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is set to be stronger than when PDD is performed.

  In the imaging unit 1220, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. . Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image.

  Here, since the fluorescence wavelength of resaphyrin is 672 (nm), the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 is an image based on the fluorescence of the resaphyrin, that is, observed in the special observation mode. It is an image in which a target tumor appears selectively. Therefore, in the special observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 outputs the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301, that is, the fluorescence observation image, to the display device 1400.

(Normal / special observation mode)
In the normal / special observation mode, irradiation of white light for normal observation and irradiation of excitation light for special observation are performed at the same time. Fluorescence observation can be performed simultaneously. Thus, by performing observation in the normal / special observation mode, it is possible to easily determine at which position in the operative field the tumor is present.

  When an instruction to select the normal / special observation mode as the observation mode is input by the user via the input unit 1307, the first light source of the lighting apparatus 1100 according to the instruction as in the normal observation mode. Both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b are driven by the unit drive control unit 1121 and the second light source unit drive control unit 1123. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the output light from the illumination device 1100 is a light (combined light) obtained by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b. Wave white light). However, unlike the normal observation mode, in the normal / special observation mode, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is adjusted to a value corresponding to PDD and PDT. At this time, similarly to the special observation mode, when PDT is performed, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is set to be stronger than when PDD is performed. The

  In the imaging unit 1220, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. . Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image. In addition, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image based on light in the red band, the green band, and the blue band having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) as the second image.

  Here, since the fluorescence wavelength of resaphyrin is 672 (nm), the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 is an image based on the fluorescence of the resaphyrin, that is, the tumor is selectively It is the image that appeared. On the other hand, in the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303, the red component is considered to be based on the component corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin in the irradiation light. It can be said that such a red component in the second image is a component that hinders the fluorescence observation of the tumor.

  Therefore, in the normal / special observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 includes the R value of the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the second value generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. A composite image is generated by adding together the GB value of the image. The composite image generated in this way is an image in which the normal observation image based on the GB value of the second image and the fluorescence observation image based on the R value of the first image are superimposed. In the image, the tumor is displayed in red in the normal observation image based on the BG value.

  In the above example, the case where both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120 are driven in the normal / special observation mode has been described, but the operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 in the normal / special observation mode is described. Is not limited to such an example. For example, by performing the operation in the normal observation mode and the operation in the special observation mode described above alternately in a time division manner, a normal observation image and a fluorescence observation image are obtained, respectively, and the observation image generation unit 1305 By combining these, an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed may be acquired.

  Further, in the above example, the finally obtained image can be the one in which the tumor is displayed in red in the normal observation image based on the BG value. However, the tumor displayed in red is not always easily visible to the user. Therefore, based on the user's request, the observation image generation unit 1305 may further perform image processing for appropriately changing the display color of the tumor. Thereby, the visibility of the tumor by a user can be improved more.

  The configuration and operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 in which the illumination apparatus 1100 having substantially the same configuration as that of the illumination apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment is incorporated have been described above. By using the illumination device 1100 as a light source of the endoscope device 1, the following effects can be obtained as in the illumination device 20.

  That is, the illuminating device 1100 is provided with the diffusion member 111 on the optical path of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b, and the diffusion angle of the laser light is expanded by the diffusion member 111. In general, the white LED used in the first light source unit 101 has a larger beam diameter and emission angle than a laser light source (for example, a semiconductor laser) used in the second light source unit 120b. Therefore, the white light and the second light source from the first light source unit 101 on the incident end face of the light guide 130 are enlarged by expanding the radiation angle of the laser beam from the second light source unit 120b using the diffusing member 111. It becomes possible to ensure substantially the same beam diameter and incident angle of the laser light from the portion 120b, that is, to make the beam diameter and the radiation angle at the output end of the light guide 130 substantially the same. Therefore, the luminance distribution of the irradiation light in the observation site 1500 can be made substantially the same, and the color unevenness of the irradiation light can be reduced.

  In the illumination device 1100, the condenser optical system 117 is configured to form an image of light from the secondary light source so as to fill the area of the incident end of the light guide 130 as much as possible. Thereby, the speckle noise as the whole illuminating device 10 can be reduced. Therefore, a higher quality observation image with reduced speckle noise can be obtained.

  Furthermore, the endoscope apparatus 1 can obtain the following effects.

  In the illumination device 1100, the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b are combined on the same optical axis. Therefore, the case where white light from the first light source unit 101 is used as irradiation light and the case where laser light from the second light source unit 120b is used as irradiation light are attributed to the undulation of the observation site 1500. The resulting shadow is observed in the same shape. Therefore, a shadow does not exist during fluorescence observation in a portion where no shadow exists during normal observation, and a situation in which excitation light cannot be irradiated to the portion does not occur. Therefore, the user can perform a series of operations of irradiating excitation light in the special observation mode to a place targeted in the normal observation mode more smoothly, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In the illumination device 1100, the first light source unit 101 is configured by, for example, a white LED, and the second light source unit 120b is configured by, for example, a semiconductor laser. Thus, in the case where the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b are configured by semiconductor light emitting elements, by appropriately controlling the drive current, the output of the emitted light from each light source unit is It becomes possible to control independently at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, it becomes possible to adjust the output light from the illumination device 1100 with a higher degree of freedom.

  In the application example described above, for the sake of simplicity, the case where only the laser beam in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the photosensitive drug is emitted from the second light source unit 120b has been described. In the same way as in the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40, laser light of a plurality of different wavelength bands may be emitted from the second light source unit 120 b. When the second light source unit 120b is configured in this way, the output of each laser beam is independently controlled as described above, so that it is used as irradiation light in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode. It becomes possible to adjust the color temperature of wave white light more easily.

  In the illumination device 1100, the photodetectors 1105 and 1109 for detecting the intensity before the multiplexing of the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b, respectively. Is provided. The driving of the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b is controlled in accordance with the intensity of white light and laser light monitored by the photodetectors 1105 and 1109. Therefore, the intensity of the emitted light from the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b can be controlled with higher accuracy, and the quality of the output light from the lighting device 1100 can be further improved.

  Further, in the lighting device 1100, the dichroic mirror 115b attenuates or removes light in a predetermined wavelength band from the white light from the first light source unit 101, and attenuates or removes the light from the white light. The laser light from the second light source unit 120b is multiplexed so as to supplement the wavelength band component. At that time, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b can be appropriately adjusted so that the combined light has a color similar to the original white light. Therefore, when the observation using the combined white light is performed in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode, the change in the hue of the observation region 1500 felt by the user can be minimized.

  In the endoscope apparatus 1, in the special observation mode and the normal / special observation mode, the optical filter 1221 does not allow the light in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light to enter the first imaging element 1223, and supports the fluorescence. The imaging unit 1220 is configured so that light in the wavelength band to be incident is incident. As described above, according to this application example, it is possible to detect a weak fluorescent component emitted from the observation site 1500 with high accuracy with a relatively simple configuration of the optical filter 1221, and a higher-definition fluorescence observation image. Can be obtained.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 1, the processing by the observation image generation unit 1305 is appropriately switched according to the observation mode, thereby confirming the surgical field based on the normal observation image in the normal observation mode, and fluorescence observation in the special observation mode. Tumor diagnosis based on images, and confirmation of the position of the tumor in the surgical field using an image obtained by superimposing the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image in the normal / special observation mode can be appropriately performed according to the user's request. In particular, in the normal / special observation mode, it is possible to obtain an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed while simultaneously irradiating the white light and the excitation light in a time division manner. Therefore, it is possible to observe the tumor in the operative field in real time. Further, in this application example, the image acquisition in the normal / special observation mode is performed by the optical filter 1221, the plurality of image sensors (the first image sensor 1223 and the second image sensor 1225), and the image processing apparatus 1300. Each function (long wavelength band image generation unit 1301, short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 and observation image generation unit 1305) can be executed with a relatively simple configuration. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a higher quality observation image in the normal / special observation mode without increasing the size of the apparatus and without increasing the cost.

(4-2-3. Other Configuration Examples of Endoscope Device)
With reference to FIG. 13, another configuration example of the endoscope apparatus 1 will be described as a modification of the endoscope apparatus 1 described above. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Note that the endoscope apparatus according to this modification corresponds to the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 10 in which the configuration of the endoscope unit 1200 is changed. Therefore, in FIG. 13, only the endoscope part 1200c is illustrated in the configuration of the endoscope apparatus according to the present modification.

  Referring to FIG. 13, an endoscope unit 1200c of an endoscope apparatus according to this modification includes a lens barrel 1210 and an imaging unit 1220c. Here, the configuration and function of the lens barrel 1210 are the same as the configuration and function of the lens barrel 1210 shown in FIG. On the other hand, the imaging unit 1220 c includes an optical filter 1221, a first imaging element 1223, a second imaging element 1225, and a second optical filter 1227. As described above, the imaging unit 1220c according to this modification corresponds to the imaging unit 1220 of the endoscope apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 10 in which the second optical filter 1227 is further provided.

  As shown in the figure, the second optical filter 1227 is provided in front of the second image sensor 1225. The second optical filter 1227 blocks only light corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b (for example, light having a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength (664 (nm)) of the resaphyrin). It is a notch filter. By providing the second optical filter 1227, the amount of light received in the second imaging element 1225 in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of rezaphyrin is suppressed.

  In this modification, the processing in the observation image generation unit 1305 in the normal observation mode and the special observation mode is the same as the processing in the endoscope apparatus 1 described above. However, the processing in the observation image generation unit 1305 in the normal / special observation mode is slightly different from the processing in the endoscope apparatus 1 described above.

  Specifically, in the normal / special observation mode, both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b are driven, and the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b The observation region 1500 is irradiated with light combined with the laser light. At this time, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is adjusted to a value corresponding to the PDD and PDT.

  In the imaging unit 1220c, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. However, the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin is cut from the light incident on the second image sensor 1225.

  In the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image indicating a tumor based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image. In addition, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image based on light in the red band, the green band, and the blue band having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) as the second image. However, from the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303, the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of rezaphyrin is cut.

  In this modification, the observation image generation unit 1305 adds the RGB values of the image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the RGB values of the image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. Thus, a composite image is generated. Since the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of Rezaphyrin is cut from the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303, by simply adding the RGB values of both images, An image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed can be obtained.

  Here, in particular, when performing PDT, the intensity of the laser light from the second light source unit 120 b is very large compared to the intensity of the white light from the first light source unit 101. Therefore, when an image is generated based on the light corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b, the amount of light received in the wavelength band is saturated, and a normal image cannot be generated. There is sex. Therefore, in the endoscope apparatus 1 described above, in the normal / special observation mode, the R value of the first image and the GB value of the second image are added together, so to speak, the second light source at the stage of image processing. The component corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light from the unit 120b is cut to generate a composite image. On the other hand, in the present modification, a second optical filter 1227 is provided in front of the second image sensor 1225, and light corresponding to the wavelength band of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b to the second image sensor 1225. Can be obtained by simply adding together the RGB values of the first image and the RGB values of the second image by blocking the incidence of the laser beam. It is.

(4-3. Microscope device)
(4-3-1. Configuration of microscope apparatus)
With reference to FIG.14 and FIG.15, the structure of the said microscope apparatus in case the illuminating devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied to a microscope apparatus is demonstrated. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a microscope apparatus to which the illumination devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the modifications are applied. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the irradiation range of irradiation light in the observation site 1500.

  In the following description, as an example, a case where a configuration corresponding to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment is mounted on a microscope device will be described. As will be described later, when the illuminating devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 are applied to the microscope device, in order to accurately control the irradiation intensity of the excitation light with respect to the observation site 1500 when performing PDT, illumination is performed. It is preferable to use an illumination device on which the optical fiber 107 is mounted as in the device 10. However, this application example is not limited to such an example, and a configuration corresponding to another illumination device 20, 30, 40 may be mounted on the microscope apparatus.

  Referring to FIG. 14, the microscope apparatus 2 includes an illumination device 2100, an imaging unit 2200, an image processing device 1300, and a display device 1400. In FIG. 14, an observation site 1500 to which the output light from the illumination device 2100 is irradiated is also schematically illustrated.

(Lighting device 2100)
The illumination device 2100 generates white light for normal observation (combined white light) and excitation light for fluorescence observation. White light and / or excitation light generated by the illuminating device 2100 is projected to the outside via a projection lens 1111 described later, and is irradiated onto the observation site 1500.

  Here, the lighting device 2100 corresponds to the lighting device 10 according to the first embodiment described above. However, some members are omitted or added when mounted on the microscope apparatus 2.

  Specifically, the illumination device 2100 includes a first light source unit 101 that emits white light, a first collimating optical system 103, and at least one laser light source that emits light of a predetermined wavelength band. Light source unit 120b, coupling optical system 105, optical fiber 107, third collimating optical system 109, dichroic mirror 115b, condenser optical system 117, laser line filter 1101, half mirror 1103, and light detection A detector 1105, a half mirror 1107, a photodetector 1109, and a controller 1120.

  As described above, the illumination device 2100 includes the laser line filter 1101, the half mirror 1103, the photodetector 1105, the half mirror 1107, and the photodetector 1109 in addition to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment. This corresponds to a configuration in which the second collimating optical system 113 and the diffusing member 111 are omitted. Further, in the illumination device 2100, the optical characteristics of the second light source unit 120 and the dichroic mirror 115 are also changed with respect to the illumination device 10 according to the first embodiment. Since the configurations and functions of the other members are the same as the configurations and functions of these members shown in FIG. 1, a detailed description of each of these members is omitted. The control unit 1120 corresponds to a control unit that controls driving of the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b, which are not shown in FIG.

  Here, the configurations and functions of the second light source unit 120b, the dichroic mirror 115b, the laser line filter 1101, the half mirror 1103, the photodetector 1105, the half mirror 1107, the photodetector 1109, and the control unit 1120 are shown in FIG. Since it is the same as that of the structure and function of these members in the endoscope apparatus 1, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in the drawing, in the illumination device 2100, the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 b passes through the coupling optical system 105, the optical fiber 107, the third collimating optical system 109, the laser line filter 1101, and the half mirror 1103. The light passes through this order and enters the dichroic mirror 115b as substantially parallel light. On the other hand, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 passes through the first collimating optical system 103 and enters the dichroic mirror 115b as substantially parallel light.

  A projection lens 1111 is provided in a partial region of the partition wall of the housing of the illuminating device 2100, and the light that has passed through the dichroic mirror 115 b is irradiated to the observation site 1500 through the projection lens 1111.

  Here, as an example, the configuration and operation of the microscope apparatus 2 in the case where Rezaphyrin is used as a photosensitive drug will be described as an example, similarly to the endoscope apparatus 1. In the configuration example described in the above (1. First embodiment), the second light source unit 120 combines and emits laser beams of three different wavelength bands, but here, In order to simplify the description, the second light source unit 120b will be described assuming that it only emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of resorphyrin. This corresponds to a state in which only a laser light source capable of emitting laser light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin is driven among the plurality of laser light sources constituting the second light source unit 120b.

  It should be noted that the characteristics of the dichroic mirror 115b in the case where Rezaphyrin is used are the same as those described above with reference to FIGS. In other words, the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the light obtained by combining the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120 b by the dichroic mirror 115 b are white light emitted from the first light source unit 101. The component of the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin is attenuated or removed from the light, and the attenuated or removed component is generated by being supplemented by the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b. It becomes white light (that is, combined white light).

  FIG. 15 shows an example of the irradiation range at the observation site 1500 when the combined white light is irradiated onto the observation site 1500. As shown in FIG. 15, when both the white light emitted from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light emitted from the second light source unit 120b are applied to the observation site 1500, the normal / special observation mode is particularly used. , The second irradiation range 1503 by the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is included in the first irradiation range 1501 by the white light from the first light source unit 101. The ranges 1501 and 1503 are preferably adjusted. When the irradiation ranges 1501 and 1503 are in the relationship shown in the figure, for example, when performing PDD or PDT, the observation region 1500 is normally observed with white light from the first light source unit 101, and the normal observation is performed. It becomes possible to irradiate the laser beam (that is, excitation light) from the second light source unit 120b intensively to the target site.

  The adjustment of the first irradiation range 1501 and the second irradiation range 1503 can be controlled by adjusting the core diameter of the optical fiber 107, the focal length of the third collimating optical system 109, and the focal length of the projection lens 1111. . At this time, it is desirable that the optical characteristics of each member be adjusted so that an image on the exit end face of the optical fiber 107 is formed on the observation site 1500. In this case, the emission end of the optical fiber 107 and the observation site 1500 can be conjugate. Therefore, by adjusting the intensity and size of the laser beam at the emission end surface of the optical fiber 107, the irradiation laser light at the observation site 1500 can be adjusted. This is because the strength and size can be adjusted.

  Here, for example, when performing PDT, the intensity per unit time and the unit area of the excitation light irradiated to the affected part (tumor) is determined according to the type of the tumor, the type of the photosensitive drug, and the like. It is common. Therefore, in the microscope apparatus 2, as described above, it is possible to perform PDT more effectively by appropriately adjusting the intensity and size of the laser light applied to the observation site 1500 using the optical fiber 107. Become.

  In the microscope apparatus 2, the optical fiber 107 is provided, and the intensity and size of the laser light at the emission end of the optical fiber 107 that can be conjugated with the observation site 1500 are appropriately adjusted, so that the irradiation laser light at the observation site 1500 is adjusted. It is possible to adjust the strength and size. Therefore, in order to accurately control the irradiation of the excitation light to the observation site 1500 during PDT, the microscope apparatus 2 is preferably provided with an optical fiber 107 as shown.

(Imaging unit 2200)
The imaging unit 2200 includes an optical filter 1221, a first imaging element 1223, a second imaging element 1225, and an image lens 2227. The image lens 2227 is provided in a partial region of the partition wall of the housing of the imaging unit 2200, and guides reflected light from the observation site 1500 into the housing. Light guided into the housing of the imaging unit 2200 through the image lens 2227 enters an optical filter 1221 provided in the housing. In FIG. 14, the propagation of light in the imaging unit 2200 is schematically illustrated by a broken line arrow.

  The configurations and functions of the optical filter 1221, the first image sensor 1223, and the second image sensor 1225 are the same as the configurations and functions of these members in the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Is omitted. That is, the reflected light from the observation site 1500 is separated into, for example, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) by the optical filter 1221, and light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more. Enters the first image sensor 1223, and light having a wavelength less than 670 (nm) enters the second image sensor 1225.

(Image processing apparatus 1300)
The image processing apparatus 1300 generates a captured image (observation image) of the observation site 1500 based on the reflected light from the observation site 1500 detected by the imaging unit 2200. Note that the configuration and function of the image processing apparatus 1300 are the same as the configuration and function of the image processing apparatus 1300 in the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

(Display device 1400)
The display device 1400 displays the image generated by the observation image generation unit 1305 of the image processing device 1300. Note that the configuration and function of the display device 1400 are the same as the configuration and function of the display device 1400 in the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

(4-3-2. Operation of microscope apparatus)
The operation | movement according to observation mode of the microscope apparatus 2 demonstrated above is demonstrated. In the microscope apparatus 2, one of a normal observation mode, a special observation mode, and a normal / special observation mode can be selected as the observation mode. In addition, since the operation | movement according to each observation mode of the microscope apparatus 2 is the same as the operation | movement according to each observation mode in the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 10, detailed description about the overlapping item is abbreviate | omitted.

(Normal observation mode)
In the normal observation mode, broadband light corresponding to visible light in a range of approximately 400 nm to 750 nm is irradiated onto the observation site 1500, and an image of the observation site 1500 is acquired.

  When the normal observation mode is selected as the observation mode by the user, both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b of the illumination device 2100 are driven. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the output light from the lighting device 1100 is light (combined light) obtained by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120. Wave white light). Here, in the normal observation mode, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is such that the combined white light has a hue similar to the original white light emitted from the first light source unit 101. It can be adjusted appropriately.

  In the imaging unit 2200, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image. In addition, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image based on light in the red band, the green band, and the blue band having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) as the second image.

  In the normal observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 adds the RGB values of the image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the RGB values of the image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. Thus, a composite image is generated. The composite image generated in this way becomes a normal observation image corresponding to irradiation light in the visible light band (about 400 (nm) to 750 (nm)).

(Special observation mode)
In the special observation mode, narrowband light corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of resaphyrin, which is a photosensitive drug, is irradiated to the observation site 1500, and an image based on fluorescence from the observation site 1500 is acquired. The special observation mode is an observation mode used when performing PDD and PDT.

  When the special observation mode is selected as the observation mode by the user, only the second light source unit 120 of the illumination device 1100 is driven. At this time, the output light from the illuminating device 1100 is a laser beam having no white light spectrum in the spectrum shown in FIG. 12, that is, a laser beam having the excitation light wavelength of rezaphyrin as a central wavelength. In the special observation mode, when PDT is performed, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120 is set to be stronger than when PDD is performed.

  In the imaging unit 2200, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image.

  Here, since the fluorescence wavelength of resaphyrin is 672 (nm), the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 is an image based on the fluorescence of the resaphyrin, that is, observed in the special observation mode. It is an image in which a target tumor appears selectively. Accordingly, in the special observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 outputs the image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301, that is, the fluorescence observation image, to the display device 1400.

(Normal / special observation mode)
In the normal / special observation mode, irradiation of white light for normal observation and irradiation of excitation light for special observation are performed at the same time. Fluorescence observation can be performed simultaneously.

  When the normal / special observation mode is selected as the observation mode by the user, both the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b of the illumination device 1100 are driven as in the normal observation mode. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the output light from the illumination device 1100 is a light (combined light) obtained by combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b. Wave white light). However, unlike the normal observation mode, in the normal / special observation mode, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is adjusted to a value corresponding to PDD and PDT. Similarly to the special observation mode, when PDT is performed, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b is set to be stronger than when PDD is performed.

  In the imaging unit 2200, as described above, light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is incident on the first imaging element 1223, and light having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) is incident on the second imaging element 1225. Therefore, in the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 of the image processing apparatus 1300, an image based on red band light having a wavelength of 670 (nm) or more is generated as the first image. In addition, the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 generates an image based on light in the red band, the green band, and the blue band having a wavelength of less than 670 (nm) as the second image.

  Here, since the fluorescence wavelength of resaphyrin is 672 (nm), the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 is an image based on the fluorescence of the resaphyrin, that is, the tumor is selectively It is the image that appeared. On the other hand, in the second image generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303, the red component is considered to be based on the component corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the resaphyrin in the irradiation light. It can be said that such a red component in the second image is a component that hinders the fluorescence observation of the tumor.

  Therefore, in the normal / special observation mode, the observation image generation unit 1305 includes the R value of the first image generated by the long wavelength band image generation unit 1301 and the second value generated by the short wavelength band image generation unit 1303. A composite image is generated by adding together the GB value of the image. The composite image generated in this way is an image in which the normal observation image based on the GB value of the second image and the fluorescence observation image based on the R value of the first image are superimposed. In the image, the tumor is displayed in red in the normal observation image based on the BG value.

  The configuration and operation of the microscope apparatus 2 in which the illumination apparatus 2100 having substantially the same configuration as that of the illumination apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is incorporated have been described above. According to the microscope apparatus 2, the following effects can be obtained as in the endoscope apparatus 1 described above.

  In the illumination device 2100, the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b are combined on the same optical axis. Therefore, the case where white light from the first light source unit 101 is used as irradiation light and the case where laser light from the second light source unit 120b is used as irradiation light are attributed to the undulation of the observation site 1500. The resulting shadow is observed in the same shape. Therefore, a shadow does not exist during fluorescence observation in a portion where no shadow exists during normal observation, and a situation in which excitation light cannot be irradiated to the portion does not occur. Therefore, the user can perform a series of operations of irradiating excitation light in the special observation mode to a place targeted in the normal observation mode more smoothly, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In the illumination device 2100, the first light source unit 101 is configured by, for example, a white LED, and the second light source unit 120b is configured by, for example, a semiconductor laser. Thus, in the case where the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b are configured by semiconductor light emitting elements, by appropriately controlling the drive current, the output of the emitted light from each light source unit is It becomes possible to control independently at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, it becomes possible to adjust the output light from the illumination device 1100 with a higher degree of freedom.

  In the application example described above, for the sake of simplicity, the case where only the laser beam in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light wavelength of the photosensitive drug is emitted from the second light source unit 120b has been described. In the same manner as in the lighting devices 10, 20, 30, 40, the second light source unit 120b emits a plurality of laser beams having different wavelength bands (for example, red laser beam and green laser beam corresponding to the three primary colors of light). And blue laser light) may be emitted. When the second light source unit 120b is configured in this way, the combined white light used as the irradiation light in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode by independently controlling the output of the laser light of each color. The color temperature can be adjusted more easily.

  Further, in the illumination device 2100, photodetectors 1105 and 1109 for detecting the intensity before combining the white light from the first light source unit 101 and the laser light from the second light source unit 120b, respectively. Is provided. The driving of the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b is controlled in accordance with the intensity of white light and laser light monitored by the photodetectors 1105 and 1109. Therefore, the intensity of the emitted light from the first light source unit 101 and the second light source unit 120b can be controlled with higher accuracy, and the quality of the output light from the lighting device 2100 can be further improved.

  Further, in the lighting device 2100, light in a predetermined wavelength band is attenuated or removed from the white light from the first light source unit 101 by the dichroic mirror 115b, and the attenuation or removal is performed on the white light. The laser light from the second light source unit 120b is multiplexed so as to supplement the wavelength band component. At that time, the output of the laser light from the second light source unit 120b can be appropriately adjusted so that the combined light has a color similar to the original white light. Therefore, when the observation using the combined white light is performed in the normal observation mode and the normal / special observation mode, the change in the hue of the observation region 1500 felt by the user can be minimized.

  In the microscope apparatus 2, in the special observation mode and the normal / special observation mode, the optical filter 1221 does not allow the light in the wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light to enter the first image sensor 1223, and the wavelength corresponding to the fluorescence. The imaging unit 2200 is configured so that light in the band is incident. As described above, according to this application example, it is possible to detect a weak fluorescent component emitted from the observation site 1500 with high accuracy with a relatively simple configuration of the optical filter 1221, and a higher-definition fluorescence observation image. Can be obtained.

  Further, in the microscope apparatus 2, the processing by the observation image generation unit 1305 is appropriately switched according to the observation mode, thereby confirming the surgical field using the normal observation image in the normal observation mode and using the fluorescence observation image in the special observation mode. Tumor diagnosis and confirmation of the position of the tumor in the operative field using an image obtained by superimposing the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image in the normal / special observation mode can be appropriately performed according to the user's request. In particular, in the normal / special observation mode, it is possible to obtain an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed while simultaneously irradiating the white light and the excitation light in a time division manner. Therefore, it is possible to observe the tumor in the operative field in real time. Further, in this application example, the image acquisition in the normal / special observation mode is performed by the optical filter 1221, the plurality of image sensors (the first image sensor 1223 and the second image sensor 1225), and the image processing apparatus 1300. Each function (long wavelength band image generation unit 1301, short wavelength band image generation unit 1303 and observation image generation unit 1305) can be executed with a relatively simple configuration. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a higher quality observation image in the normal / special observation mode without increasing the size of the apparatus and without increasing the cost.

(5. Supplement)
The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

  In addition, the effects described in the present specification are merely illustrative or illustrative, and are not limited. That is, the technology according to the present disclosure can exhibit other effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the present specification in addition to or instead of the above effects.

The following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1) From a first light source unit that emits white light, a second light source unit that emits laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands included in the wavelength band of the white light, and the second light source unit A diffusing member that generates a secondary light source by diffusing the emitted laser light, and a dichroic mirror that combines the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source And the dichroic mirror attenuates a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam in the white light, and also attenuates the component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam with respect to the white light A lighting device that combines laser beams.
(2) A first collimating optical system that makes white light emitted from the first light source unit substantially parallel light, and a second collimating optical system that makes laser light emitted from the diffusion member substantially parallel light. The dichroic mirror further includes: white light converted into substantially parallel light by the first collimating optical system; and laser light converted into substantially parallel light by the second collimating optical system. The lighting device according to (1), wherein the lighting device combines.
(3) a coupling optical system that couples the laser light emitted from the second light source unit to an optical fiber, and a third collimating optical system that makes the laser light emitted from the optical fiber substantially parallel. The illuminating device according to (1) or (2), further comprising: the diffusing member generating a secondary light source by diffusing the laser light emitted from the third collimating optical system.
(4) a condenser optical system that forms an image of the light combined by the dichroic mirror on the incident end of the light guide, and the condenser optical system forms an image on the incident end of the light guide. (1) to (3), wherein the light from the secondary light source is formed on the incident end of the light guide so that the size of the image of the light source is substantially the same as the diameter of the incident end of the light guide. The lighting device according to any one of the above.
(5) The second light source unit includes a plurality of laser light sources, and the plurality of laser light sources includes a red laser light source that emits red laser light, a green laser light source that emits green laser light, and a blue laser light. The illumination device according to any one of (1) to (4), including at least a blue laser light source that emits light.
(6) The second light source section includes a plurality of laser light sources, and the color temperature of the light combined by the dichroic mirror is adjusted by independently controlling the driving of the plurality of laser light sources. The lighting device according to any one of (1) to (5).
(7) At least one of the laser light sources constituting the second light source unit emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to excitation light used for fluorescence observation of an observation site. The lighting device according to any one of 6).
(8) a third light source unit that emits light having a wavelength band different from that of the laser light emitted from the second light source unit; and white light emitted from the first light source unit and the first light source unit. The light combined with the light emitted from the third light source unit enters the dichroic mirror, and is emitted from the first light source unit and the white light emitted from the first light source unit by the dichroic mirror. The illumination according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the combined light and the laser light emitted from the second light source unit are further combined. apparatus.
(9) The lighting device according to (8), wherein the first light source unit and the third light source unit are configured by LEDs.
(10) emitting white light from the first light source unit, emitting laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands included in the wavelength band of the white light from the second light source unit, and a diffusing member To generate a secondary light source by diffusing the laser light emitted from the second light source unit, and to emit white light emitted from the first light source unit and the secondary light source by a dichroic mirror. The dichroic mirror attenuates a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam in the white light, and a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam An illumination method for combining the laser light with the attenuated white light.
(11) An illuminating device that outputs at least one of white light and excitation light irradiated to a patient's operative field, the illuminating device including a first light source unit that emits white light, and the white light A second light source unit that emits laser light in a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands including a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light included in the wavelength band, and diffuses the laser light emitted from the second light source unit A diffusing member for generating a secondary light source, and a dichroic mirror for combining the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source, and the dichroic mirror Attenuating a component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam in the white light, and combining the laser beam with the white light having an attenuated component of the wavelength band corresponding to the laser beam. Location.
(12) The observation device is inserted into a body cavity of a patient, and output light from the illumination device is guided through the inside, and a lens barrel that irradiates the operation light in the body cavity with the output light, The observation apparatus according to (11), further including an endoscope apparatus.
(13) A long wavelength band image generation unit that generates a first image based on light having a longer wavelength band than the excitation light and including a fluorescence wavelength band by the excitation light; and a shorter wavelength band than the fluorescence The observation device according to (11) or (12), further comprising: a short wavelength band image generation unit that generates a second image based on light including the wavelength band of the excitation light.
(14) In the normal observation mode in which a normal observation image of the surgical field with white light is obtained, both the first light source unit and the second light source unit are driven, and the first image and the second image are driven. The observation device according to (13), wherein the normal observation image is obtained by combining and.
(15) In the normal observation mode, the normal observation image is generated by adding the RGB values of the first image and the RGB values of the second image, and the observation according to (14) apparatus.
(16) In a special observation mode in which a fluorescence observation image of the surgical field using excitation light is obtained, only the second light source unit is driven out of the first light source unit and the second light source unit, and the second light source unit is driven. The observation apparatus according to any one of (13) to (15), wherein the image is obtained as the fluorescence observation image.
(17) In the normal / special observation mode in which the normal observation image of the surgical field using white light and the fluorescence observation image of the surgical field using excitation light are obtained simultaneously, the first light source unit and the second light source unit Are driven together, and the first image and the second image are combined to obtain an image obtained by superimposing the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image. The observation apparatus according to any one of the above.
(18) In the normal / special observation mode, the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed by adding the R value of the first image and the GB value of the second image. The observation apparatus according to (17), wherein an image is generated.
(19) The short wavelength band image generation unit generates the second image based on light in which a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light is attenuated or removed, and in the normal / special observation mode, The RGB value of the first image and the RGB value of the second image are added to generate an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed on each other. Observation device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope apparatus 2 Microscope apparatus 10, 20, 30, 40, 1100, 2100 Illumination apparatus 101 1st light source part 103, 103a 1st collimating optical system 105 Coupling optical system 107 Optical fiber 109 3rd collimating optical system 111 Diffusing member 113, 113a Second collimating optical system 115, 115b Dichroic mirror 117, 117a Condenser optical system 119 Third light source unit 120, 120b Second light source unit 121R, 121G, 121B Laser light source 122R, 122G, 122B Dichroic Mirror 125 Second dichroic mirror 130 Light guide 1101 Laser line filter 1103, 1107 Half mirror 1105, 1109 Photodetector 1111 Projection lens 1120 Control unit 1121 First light source unit drive control 1123 Second light source unit drive control unit 1200, 1200c Endoscope unit 1210 Lens barrel 1220, 1220c, 2200 Imaging unit 1221 Optical filter 1223 First imaging element 1225 Second imaging element 1227 Second optical filter 1300 Image processing apparatus 1301 Long wavelength band image generation unit 1303 Short wavelength band image generation unit 1305 Observation image generation unit 1307 Input unit 1400 Display device 1500 Observation site 1501 First irradiation range 1503 Second irradiation range 2227 Image lens

Claims (19)

A first light source that emits white light;
A second light source unit that emits laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands included in the wavelength band of the white light;
A diffusing member that generates a secondary light source by diffusing laser light emitted from the second light source unit;
A dichroic mirror that combines the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source;
With
The diffusing member expands the laser beam so that the beam diameter and the incident angle of the white light and the laser beam are substantially the same at the incident end surface of the light guide on which the light combined by the dichroic mirror enters. Let
The dichroic mirror attenuates a wavelength band component corresponding to the laser light in the white light, and combines the laser light with the white light attenuated in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light. Lighting device. A first collimating optical system that makes white light emitted from the first light source unit substantially parallel light;
A second collimating optical system in which the laser light emitted from the diffusing member is substantially parallel light;
Further comprising
The dichroic mirror multiplexes the white light converted into substantially parallel light by the first collimating optical system and the laser light converted into substantially parallel light by the second collimating optical system. The lighting device according to 1. A coupling optical system for coupling laser light emitted from the second light source unit to an optical fiber;
A third collimating optical system that makes laser light emitted from the optical fiber substantially parallel light;
Further comprising
The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion member generates a secondary light source by diffusing laser light emitted from the third collimating optical system. A condenser optical system that forms an image of the light combined by the dichroic mirror on the incident end of the light guide;
The condenser optical system is configured so that the size of the image of the secondary light source formed on the incident end of the light guide is substantially the same as the diameter of the incident end of the light guide. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light is imaged on an incident end of the light guide. The second light source unit has a plurality of laser light sources,
The plurality of laser light sources includes at least a red laser light source that emits red laser light, a green laser light source that emits green laser light, and a blue laser light source that emits blue laser light. The lighting device according to item 1. The second light source unit has a plurality of laser light sources,
The lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a color temperature of light combined by the dichroic mirror is adjusted by independently controlling driving of the plurality of laser light sources.   At least one of the laser light sources constituting the second light source unit emits laser light in a wavelength band corresponding to excitation light used for fluorescence observation of an observation site. The lighting device according to item. A third light source unit that emits light in a wavelength band different from the laser beam emitted from the second light source unit;
Light obtained by combining the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the light emitted from the third light source unit enters the dichroic mirror,
Laser light emitted from the second light source unit and light obtained by combining the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the light emitted from the third light source unit by the dichroic mirror. The illuminating device according to claim 1, further combined.   The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the first light source unit and the third light source unit are configured by LEDs. An illumination method in an illumination device including a first light source unit, a second light source unit, a diffusing member, a dichroic mirror, and a control unit,
Wherein the control unit controls the drive current of the first light source, and Rukoto to emit white light from the first light source,
And wherein the control unit controls the driving current of the first light source, from the second light source unit, and Rukoto to emit a laser beam of a plurality of predetermined wavelength band included in the wavelength band of the white light ,
And generating a secondary light source by diffusing the laser light emitted from the second light source portion by the diffusing member,
And said by the dichroic mirror, which multiplexes the laser light emitted from the first white light and the secondary light source emitted from the light source unit,
Including
The diffusing member expands the laser beam so that the beam diameter and the incident angle of the white light and the laser beam are substantially the same at the incident end surface of the light guide on which the light combined by the dichroic mirror enters. Let
The dichroic mirror attenuates a wavelength band component corresponding to the laser light in the white light, and combines the laser light with the white light attenuated in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light. Lighting method. An illumination device that outputs at least one of white light and excitation light irradiated to a patient's surgical field;
The lighting device includes:
A first light source that emits white light;
A second light source unit that emits laser light of a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands including a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light included in the wavelength band of the white light;
A diffusing member that generates a secondary light source by diffusing laser light emitted from the second light source unit;
A dichroic mirror that combines the white light emitted from the first light source unit and the laser light emitted from the secondary light source;
With
The diffusing member expands the laser beam so that the beam diameter and the incident angle of the white light and the laser beam are substantially the same at the incident end surface of the light guide on which the light combined by the dichroic mirror enters. Let
The dichroic mirror attenuates a wavelength band component corresponding to the laser light in the white light, and combines the laser light with the white light attenuated in a wavelength band corresponding to the laser light. Observation device.   The observation apparatus is further provided with a lens barrel that is inserted into a body cavity of a patient, the output light from the illumination device is guided through the interior, and the output light is irradiated to the surgical field in the body cavity. The observation apparatus according to claim 11, which is an endoscope apparatus. A long wavelength band image generation unit that generates a first image based on light having a longer wavelength band than the excitation light and including a wavelength band of fluorescence by the excitation light;
A short wavelength band image generation unit that generates a second image based on light having a shorter wavelength band than the fluorescence and including the wavelength band of the excitation light;
The observation device according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising: In the normal observation mode where a normal observation image of the surgical field with white light is obtained,
Both the first light source unit and the second light source unit are driven,
The observation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the normal observation image is obtained by combining the first image and the second image.   The observation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the normal observation mode, the normal observation image is generated by adding the RGB values of the first image and the RGB values of the second image. In the special observation mode where a fluorescence observation image of the surgical field with excitation light is obtained,
Of the first light source unit and the second light source unit, only the second light source unit is driven,
The observation apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the second image is obtained as the fluorescence observation image. In the normal / special observation mode in which the normal observation image of the surgical field with white light and the fluorescence observation image of the surgical field with excitation light can be obtained simultaneously,
Both the first light source unit and the second light source unit are driven,
The image obtained by superimposing the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image is obtained by combining the first image and the second image. Observation device.   In the normal / special observation mode, the R value of the first image and the GB value of the second image are added to generate an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed. The observation apparatus according to claim 17. The short wavelength band image generation unit generates the second image based on light in which a component of a wavelength band corresponding to the excitation light is attenuated or removed,
In the normal / special observation mode, the RGB value of the first image and the RGB value of the second image are added to generate an image in which the normal observation image and the fluorescence observation image are superimposed. The observation device according to claim 17.