WO2016049239A1

WO2016049239A1 - Oral probe utilizing retractable optics

Info

Publication number: WO2016049239A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/051799
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcel Schemmann; Raimond DUMOULIN; John Sherry
Original assignee: 2M Engineering Limited
Priority date: 2014-09-23
Filing date: 2015-09-23
Publication date: 2016-03-31

Abstract

In some embodiments, an oral imaging system may include an optical fiber extendable through an optical fiber port; an imaging element; the optical fiber port positioned such that when the optical fiber is extended it crosses and partially obstructs a field of view of the imaging element; and/or logic to record a first image from the imaging element prior to extending the optical fiber through the optical fiber port, to extend the optical fiber through the optical fiber port and record a second image from the imaging element, to extrapolate a laser light position on the first image based on imaging of the optical fiber in the second image, and to display a composite of the first image and pixelated light at the laser light position.

Description

ORAL PROBE UTILIZING RETRACTABLE OPTICS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority and benefit of US Application Serial No. 62/054,372, titled "oral probe WITH CAMERA AND POSITIONING SYSTEM" filed on 9/23/2014 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Oral probes that utilize optical fibers exist, but the probe is typically thin, 0.5-2 mm in diameter, and commonly for instance 1 mm in diameter. In use the probe is typically placed precisely at a spot that has been identified using a previously captured camera image. However the user is often challenged to align the probe based on the image.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a cutaway view of an extendable optical probe 100 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a cutaway view of an extendable optical probe 100 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an extendable optical probe 100 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates various views of an extendable optical probe 100 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates an aspect of a tissue imaging process 500 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates a server 600 in accordance with one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Disclosed herein is a novel oral probe including a camera head with the probe configured with the camera in such a way that a fraction of the field of view of the camera is blocked when the probe is extended.

[0011] In some embodiments, an oral imaging system may include an optical fiber extendable through an optical fiber port; an imaging element; the optical fiber port positioned such that when the optical fiber is extended it crosses and partially obstructs a field of view of the imaging element; and/or logic to record a first image from the imaging element prior to extending the optical fiber through the optical fiber port, to extend the optical fiber through the optical fiber port and record a second image from the imaging element, to extrapolate a laser light position on the first image based on imaging of the optical fiber in the second image, and to display a composite of the first image and pixelated light at the laser light position.

[0012] In some embodiments, such a oral imaging system may further include LEDs (light emitting diodes) positioned around a perimeter of the field of view of the imaging element. Such a oral imaging system may further include the LEDs are UV (ultraviolet). Such a oral imaging system may further include the optical fiber port is transparent and partially obstructs the field of view of the imaging element. Such a oral imaging system may further include an actuator to extend and retract the optical fiber through the optical fiber port. Such a oral imaging system may further include a mount surrounding the optical fiber port and the imaging element and formed to extend to form a protruding rim around the optical fiber port and the imaging element.

[0013] Preferably the probe is mounted in a channel such that it is retractable, possibly with a motorized actuator system to extend and retract the probe. To ensure sterile use dental cameras may utilize a plastic cover bag may be installed over the camera and shield if applicable.

[0014] An oral imaging device including an extendable/retractable optical probe is disclosed. The device includes a built-in camera with LED visible lighting elements arranged around the camera aperture which is partially and deliberately obstructed by an optical probe fiber in use. In addition to the LED visible lighting, the probe may optionally include include UV LEDs for fluorescence imaging. A screen (e.g., mounting cup 118) maybe installed to screen UV light from the camera and provide spacing between the LEDs and tissues when the oral probe is applied to a patient. [0015] For further spectral analysis of fluorescence an extendable probe is co-located with tissue in the oral cavity for imaging, analysis, and further investigation. In an extended position, due to the angle and position of the optical probe port, the extended probe obstructs the camera field of view. The probe directs laser light to the tissue via a multi-core optical fiber 1 10 and simultaneously collects fluorescence emissions from the lased tissues. The fluorescence light is directed via the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 to a spectrum analyzer (not shown) for further analysis.

[0016] Figure 1 , Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 illustrate various views of an extendable optical probe 100 embodiment. The extendable optical probe 100 comprises probe housing 102, imaging element protective window 104, imaging element 106, optical fiber channel 108, multi- core optical fiber 1 10, illuminator 1 12, fiber cladding 1 14, probe feed actuator 1 16, mounting cup 1 18, and probe extension port 120.

[0017] The probe feed actuator 1 16 may be activated to drive extension and retraction of the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 and associated fiber cladding 1 14 through the optical fiber channel 108 and out through the probe extension port 120. Light from a laser (not shown) may be directed through the multi-core optical fiber 1 10, and return fluorescent light from the tissue to examine, for example generated by UV LEDs from among the illuminator 1 12, may be directed in a backward direction (backward into the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 from the illuminated oral tissue area) and collected and analyzed.

[0018] An imaging element 106 may collect and respond to return and fluorescent light from the imaged oral tissue area, and may form part of a camera 124 that is either internal or external to the probe housing 102 and the extendable optical probe 100. The mounting cup 1 18 may protect the eyes of the user of the extendable optical probe 100 from stray UV light, and may also enforce a safe distance of the illuminator 1 12 elements (e.g., UV LEDs) from the tissue surface to which the extendable optical probe 100 is mounted.

[0019] Image information may be input from the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 and/or the camera 124 to an analytical system and imaging logic 122 for further processing and analysis (e.g., see Figure 5).

[0020] Figure 5 illustrates an aspect of a tissue imaging process 500 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0021] An imaging process includes activation of imaging at two times. At a first time, the mounting cup 1 18 is positioned on the patient and stabilized. The multi-core optical fiber 1 10 is retracted withing the optical fiber channel 108 at this first time. Next, an image of the tissue area to analyze is recorded by activating an image recording device (e.g, camera 124) coupled to the imaging element 106 (e.g., camera or CCD array). The multi-core optical fiber 1 10 is then extended over and across the imaging element protective window 104 by operation of the probe feed actuator 1 16, and part of the field of view of the imaging element 106 is thus obstructed. Another image of the sample area is recorded and the optical effects of the extended multi-core optical fiber 1 10 are identified in the second image by analytical system and imaging logic 122. The first and second images are correlated by the analytical system and imaging logic 122 based on common features excluding any effects of the presence of the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 in the second image, such that the position of the probe tip is precisely known relative to the information about the tissue sample recorded in the first image. In other words, the position of the extended multi-core optical fiber 1 10 and the laser light directed

therethrough onto the tissue to analyze is extrapolated into the first image by the analytical system and imaging logic 122, and may be displayed in a composite form on a display to guide the examiner utilizing the probe (e.g., a red pixelated dot may be generated and displayed by the analytical system and imaging logic 122 over the tissue imaged in the first image in the extrapolated position of the laser light as directed through the multi-core optical fiber 1 10 in the extended position). However the image that the examiner is seeing is neither the first nor second image taken, but instead an image created from extrapolating the position of the extended multi-core optical fiber 1 10 as imaged in the second image, into and over the first image.

[0022] Figure 6 illustrates several components of an exemplary server 600 in accordance with one embodiment. In various embodiments, server 600 may include a desktop PC, server, workstation, mobile phone, laptop, tablet, set-top box, appliance, or other computing device that is capable of performing operations such as those described herein. In some embodiments, server 600 may include many more components than those shown in Figure 6. However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment. Collectively, the various tangible components or a subset of the tangible components may be referred to herein as "logic" configured or adapted in a particular way, for example as logic configured or adapted with particular software or firmware. [0023] In various embodiments, server 600 may comprise one or more physical and/or logical devices that collectively provide the functionalities described herein. In some embodiments, server 600 may comprise one or more replicated and/or distributed physical or logical devices.

[0024] In some embodiments, server 600 may comprise one or more computing resources provisioned from a "cloud computing" provider, for example, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud ("Amazon EC2"), provided by Amazon.com, Inc. of Seattle, Washington; Sun Cloud Compute Utility, provided by Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Santa Clara, California; Windows Azure, provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington, and the like.

[0025] Server 600 includes a bus 602 interconnecting several components including a network interface 608, a display 606, a central processing unit 610, and a memory 604.

[0026] Memory 604 generally comprises a random access memory ("RAM") and permanent non-transitory mass storage device, such as a hard disk drive or solid-state drive. Memory 604 stores an operating system 612.

[0027] These and other software components may be loaded into memory 604 of server 600 using a drive mechanism (not shown) associated with a non-transitory computer-readable medium 616, such as a floppy disc, tape, DVD/CD-ROM drive, memory card, or the like.

[0028] Memory 604 also includes database 614. In some embodiments, server 200 (deleted) may communicate with database 614 via network interface 608, a storage area network

("SAN"), a high-speed serial bus, and/or via the other suitable communication technology.

[0029] In some embodiments, database 614 may comprise one or more storage resources provisioned from a "cloud storage" provider, for example, Amazon Simple Storage Service ("Amazon S3"), provided by Amazon.com, Inc. of Seattle, Washington, Google Cloud Storage, provided by Google, Inc. of Mountain View, California, and the like.

[0030] References to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise," "comprising," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to." Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively, unless expressly limited to a single one or multiple ones. Additionally, the words "herein," "above," "below" and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word "or" in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list, unless expressly limited to one or the other.

[0031] "Logic" refers to machine memory circuits, non transitory machine readable media, and/or circuitry which by way of its material and/or material-energy configuration comprises control and/or procedural signals, and/or settings and values (such as resistance, impedance, capacitance, inductance, current/voltage ratings, etc.), that may be applied to influence the operation of a device. Magnetic media, electronic circuits, electrical and optical memory (both volatile and nonvolatile), and firmware are examples of logic. Logic specifically excludes pure signals or software per se (however does not exclude machine memories comprising software and thereby forming configurations of matter).

[0032] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that logic may be distributed throughout one or more devices, and/or may be comprised of combinations memory, media, processing circuits and controllers, other circuits, and so on. Therefore, in the interest of clarity and correctness logic may not always be distinctly illustrated in drawings of devices and systems, although it is inherently present therein.

[0033] The techniques and procedures described herein may be implemented via logic distributed in one or more computing devices. The particular distribution and choice of logic will vary according to implementation.

[0034] Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various logic

implementations by which processes and/or systems described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes are deployed. "Software" refers to logic that may be readily readapted to different purposes (e.g. read/write volatile or nonvolatile memory or media). "Firmware" refers to logic embodied as read-only memories and/or media. Hardware refers to logic embodied as analog and/or digital circuits. If an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a solely software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations may involve optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.

[0035] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood as notorious by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. Several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in standard integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, digital tape, flash drives, SD cards, solid state fixed or removable storage, and computer memory.

[0036] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof can be viewed as being composed of various types of " circuitry." Consequently, as used herein "circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment).

[0037] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use standard engineering practices to integrate such described devices and/or processes into larger systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a network processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

Claim 1. An oral probe, comprising:

an optical fiber extendable through an optical fiber port;

an imaging element;

the optical fiber port positioned such that when the optical fiber is extended it crosses and partially obstructs a field of view of the imaging element; and

LEDs (light emitting diodes) positioned around a perimeter of the field of view of the imaging element.

Claim 2. The oral probe of claim 1 , further comprising:

the LEDs are UV (ultraviolet).

Claim 3. The oral probe of claim 1 , further comprising:

the optical fiber port is transparent and partially obstructs the field of view of the imaging element.

Claim 4. The oral probe of claim 1 , further comprising:

an actuator to extend and retract the optical fiber through the optical fiber port.

Claim 5. The oral probe of claim 1 , further comprising:

a mount surrounding the optical fiber port and the imaging element and formed to extend to form a protruding rim around the optical fiber port and the imaging element.

Claim 6. An oral imaging system, comprising:

an optical fiber extendable through an optical fiber port;

an imaging element;

logic to record a first image from the imaging element prior to extending the optical fiber through the optical fiber port, to extend the optical fiber through the optical fiber port and record a second image from the imaging element, to extrapolate a laser light position on the first image based on imaging of the optical fiber in the second image, and to display a composite of the first image and pixelated light at the laser light position.

Claim 7. The oral imaging system of claim 6, further comprising:

Claim 8. The oral imaging system of claim 7, further comprising:

the LEDs are UV (ultraviolet).

Claim 9. The oral imaging system of claim 6, further comprising:

Claim 10. The oral imaging system of claim 6, further comprising:

Claim 1 1. The oral imaging system of claim 6, further comprising: