WO2018094696A1

WO2018094696A1 - Endoscope system, and light source device thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2018094696A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/107301
Authority: WO
Inventors: 熊思思; 樊睿; 李勇
Original assignee: 深圳迈瑞生物医疗电子股份有限公司
Priority date: 2016-11-25
Filing date: 2016-11-25
Publication date: 2018-05-31
Also published as: CN108603642A

Abstract

A light source device. The light source device (1) comprises a light source portion generating excited light and a fluorescent color wheel (12) movable with respect to the light source portion. Different regions of the fluorescent color wheel (12) can be provided with different fluorescent materials, and thus emit, when rotated to be on a light path of the excited light, light in different wavelength ranges. The light source device (1) of the present invention enables full energy utilization of excited light, and prevents outputting light in an undesired wavelength range.

Description

Endoscope system and light source device thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to a light source device, and more particularly to a light source device for an endoscope system and an endoscope system using the same.

[0002]

BACKGROUND

[0004] The medical endoscope functions to observe the inside of a living body, and therefore requires a light source device that illuminates the inside of the living body. The endoscope has a light source device that supplies illumination light to the endoscope, an insertion portion that is inserted into the living body for observation of the tissue, and an image processor that processes the output image. At the front end of the insertion portion, an illumination window for illuminating the tissue and an observation window for observing the tissue are provided. A fiber bundle is also provided in the insertion portion, and the fiber bundle transmits the light of the light source to the front end of the insertion portion to illuminate the tissue.

[0005] For neoplastic lesions, past conventional white light diagnosis was analyzed by contrasting differences between diseased and normal tissues. In recent years, special light imaging has been applied in tumor diagnosis. In the narrow-band imaging (NBl), the narrow-band blue or narrow-band green light that is strongly absorbed by the blood illuminates the tissue, which improves the contrast of the capillaries. In a normal tissue in which a living tissue is cancerous or the like, the state of the blood vessel is different from that of the normal tissue, and therefore the blood vessel emphasis observation is considered to be useful in the diagnosis of early cancer discovery.

In view of the influence of light source illumination effects on image quality, various types of light source devices have been proposed in the art. For example, a xenon lamp source can be used in combination with a plurality of sets of rotary filters to generate R, G, B trichromatic lights for ordinary light observation and narrow band blue, narrow band green light for special light observation. In the normal light observation mode, the red, green, and blue lights are sequentially filtered out from the xenon lamp that emits white light by controlling the rotation filter. However, due to the use of a xenon lamp, the light source has a short service life, and the ratio of the blue component, the green component, and the red component contained in the xenon lamp is fixed, and the ratio of each component cannot be changed, and the luminous flux of the xenon lamp cannot be adjusted, even if it is matched with the filter. When the light sheet is used, there is still a case where the emitted light does not have a desired luminous flux ratio, which affects the image quality of the final output image. In addition, the narrow bandwidth blue and green light for illumination in the light source configuration is obtained from the xenon lamp filtering by a two-stage filter, so the narrow band blue light and the narrow band green light intensity are weak. [0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a light source device, particularly a light source device suitable for use in a medical endoscope system.

[0010] The light source device of the present invention includes:

[0011] a light source control unit;

a first semiconductor light source that generates excitation light;

a first color wheel including a plurality of color regions; a plurality of color regions of the first color wheel may be branched on an optical path of the excitation light; the plurality of color regions including a fluorescent material coated One or more wavelength conversion regions, the fluorescent material of the wavelength conversion region generates first monochromatic light under illumination of the excitation light, and the wavelength range of the first monochromatic light is different from the wavelength of the excitation light Range;

[0014] an optical system, configured to guide the first monochromatic light to a light exit of the light source device.

[0015] The light source device of the present invention uses a semiconductor light source, which not only prolongs the service life, but also adjusts the light energy output from the light exit port of the entire light source device, and can more flexibly adapt to different observation requirements.

[0016] The plurality of color regions of the light source device further includes a transmissive region that provides a second monochromatic light under illumination of the excitation light, a wavelength range of the second monochromatic light and the excitation light The wavelength range is the same. The light source device further includes a second color wheel including a plurality of color regions; the plurality of color regions of the second color wheel may be branched on the optical path of the excitation light, and branched under the illumination of the excitation light A plurality of third monochromatic lights are generated. The above "first monochromatic light" means the light provided by the first color wheel and wavelength-converted with respect to the excitation light; "second monochromatic light" means that the first color wheel provides, relative to the excitation light. The wavelength-converted light occurs; the "third monochromatic light" represents the light provided by the second color wheel that is wavelength-converted with respect to the excitation light, but one or more of the third monochromatic light, relative to the first color wheel The first monochromatic light provided has a different wavelength range.

[0017] The light source device further includes a second semiconductor light source that generates narrow-band light that enhances the imaging effect of the blood vessel, and the optical system is further configured to guide the narrow-band light to the light exit of the light source device; The light source control unit controls the first semiconductor light source and the second semiconductor light source to work in a distributed manner. The narrow-band light is directly generated by another semiconductor light source, which can improve the illumination intensity of the special light observation mode corresponding to the narrow-band light and improve the illumination effect. [0018] The optical system of the light source device includes a dichroic mirror that combines the optical path of the narrow-band light with the optical path of the first monochromatic light (also the second monochromatic light) into the same optical path via the dichroic mirror. The optical path is simple in design, and does not cause excessive energy waste due to light transmission. The same optical path is also more suitable for use in medical endoscopes, and is guided by the coupling lens into the scope of the endoscope to further reduce energy loss.

[0019] The present invention also provides an endoscope system including the above light source device;

[0020] The insertion portion is provided with a grayscale sensor at the front end thereof, and the grayscale sensor performs image acquisition under the first monochromatic light to obtain an image signal;

[0021] a control system including an imaging control unit and an image processing unit: the imaging control unit controls the gradation sensor to perform image collection under the first monochromatic light according to the exit pupil of the first monochromatic light And generating an image based on the image signal of the gradation sensor; the image processing unit performs image processing on the image generated by the imaging control unit, and outputs the processed image;

[0022] a display, configured to display the processed image.

[0023]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly described below, and obviously, in the following description The drawings are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative work.

1 is a schematic structural view of a light source device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the color wheel of Figure 1, wherein the illustrated color wheel has three color zones;

3 is a schematic structural view of a light source device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic structural view of an endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a spectral response graph of a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor; [0030] FIG.

6a is a schematic diagram of the light source device of the present invention compensating for the inconsistent spectral response of the gradation sensor; and FIG. 6b is another schematic diagram of the light source device of the present invention compensating for the inconsistent spectral response of the gradation sensor. [0032] FIG.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the following will be incorporated in the embodiments of the present invention. The drawings illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention clearly and completely. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the inventive scope are intended to fall within the scope of the invention.

[0036] The light source device of the present invention uses a method in which excitation light excites a fluorescent material to generate monochromatic light, and provides bifurcated monochromatic illumination in a normal illumination mode. The excitation illuminating process not only can fully utilize the energy of the excitation light, improve the energy utilization rate of the light source device, but also can generate ordinary monochromatic light satisfying the demand by the flexible selection of the fluorescent material and the excitation light, and does not introduce the useless wavelength range. Light. The light source device of the present invention uses a semiconductor light source to directly provide narrow-band light, and provides special light illumination in a special light illumination mode. The direct illumination is also an efficient use of energy, and can ensure the illumination intensity under special illumination, which is beneficial to improve the subsequent image quality.

1 shows a light source device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The light source device 1 includes a first semiconductor light source 11, a first color wheel 12, an optical system, a light exit port 14, and a light source control portion 15. The light generated by the first semiconductor light source 11 is transmitted to the light exit port 14 through the first color wheel 12 and the optical system for illumination. The light source control section 15 can communicate with a host of an endoscope system which will be described later, and controls the components of the light source device 1 to emit light while satisfying the imaging demand, for example, the light source control section 15 can control the opening and closing of the first semiconductor light source 11. The light flux control unit 15 can control the moving speed of the movement of the first color wheel 12 and the like.

The first semiconductor light source 11 is for generating excitation light which is transmitted along its optical path and irradiated onto the first color wheel 12. The first semiconductor light source 11 can be selected from the group consisting of a laser, an LED light source, and a laser diode; the above-mentioned light source type has high intensity, fast frequency, and is a cold light source, and can be suitably applied to the field of medical endoscopes. Among them, the laser and the laser diode have high luminous flux and low optical expansion. For the application of the optical fiber guiding at the light exiting port 14, the coupling ratio of the optical fiber can be further improved. The wavelength range of the excitation light can be flexibly selected according to the fluorescent material to be excited, the needs of the current illumination scene, and the like, for example, a blue laser having a wavelength range of 400 nm to 480 nm can be selected.

In this embodiment, the first color wheel 12 includes a plurality of color regions, and the first color wheel 12 is rotatably disposed relative to the first semiconductor light source 11, and during the rotation of the first color wheel 12, a plurality of color regions The light is rotated to the optical path of the excitation light, so that the excitation light generated by the first semiconductor light source 11 can be respectively irradiated to different color regions between different turns, and each of the color regions respectively provides a plurality of monochromatic lights having different wavelength ranges. For example, the wavelength range is different Monochromatic light that can be perceived as light of different colors. For example, a plurality of monochromatic lights having different wavelength ranges may be red light, green light, blue light, yellow light, or the like. For example, a plurality of monochromatic lights of different wavelength ranges generated by a plurality of color regions may be mainly broadband light, and the wide band may refer to a wavelength bandwidth of several tens of nanometers, but is not limited thereto.

[0040] In some embodiments, the plurality of color regions are wavelength conversion regions provided with a fluorescent material. The fluorescent material can be applied to the surface of the color wheel of the color wheel or embedded inside the color wheel of the color wheel. The wavelength conversion area means that the wavelength range of the light received on the light-in side (the right side in Figure 1) is different from the wavelength range of the light emitted from the light-emitting side (the left side in Figure 1). Specifically, after the excitation light is irradiated onto the fluorescent material on the wavelength conversion region, the fluorescent material is excited to emit monochromatic light having a wavelength range different from that of the excitation light.

[0041] In some embodiments, the plurality of color regions includes one or more wavelength conversion regions coated with a fluorescent material and a transmission region uncoated with a fluorescent material. The transmissive area means that the light-input side (the right side in Figure 1) receives the same wavelength range of light as the light-emitting side (left side in Figure 1). Specifically, after the excitation light is irradiated to the transmission region, it can be directly transmitted through the transmission region.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the first color wheel 12 includes three color regions, wherein the red region 12a is coated with a red phosphor, the green region 12b is coated with a green phosphor, and the transmissive region 12c is free of fluorescence. powder. In the case where the first semiconductor light source 11 is a laser emitting blue laser light, the blue laser light is irradiated onto the red region 12a to be converted to generate red fluorescence; the blue laser light is irradiated onto the green region 12b to be converted to generate green fluorescence, blue laser No wavelength conversion occurs on the transmission region 12c, and it is still emitted in the form of a blue laser. The illustrated first color wheel 12 can provide three monochromatic lights of red, green and blue light with its own rotation relative to the first semiconductor light source 11; red and green light are incident with respect to the incident The blue laser belongs to the first monochromatic light whose wavelength range is different, and the blue light belongs to the second monochromatic light with the same wavelength range with respect to the incident blue laser. Although FIG. 2 is exemplified by three color zones, it should be understood that the first color wheel may also have 2, 4, 5 ... n color zones. The red zone and the green zone are respectively a red light conversion zone and a green light conversion zone, and the blue zone is a transmission zone. The above definitions of "red" and "green" for the phosphors mean that the phosphors will produce red and green light under excitation light, and are not used to limit the color of the phosphor itself. Phosphors, green phosphors, etc. can be referred to as red phosphors and green phosphors, respectively.

[0043] In addition, the plurality of color regions of the first color wheel 12 may have the same size distribution area, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the light provided by each color zone has the same light exit time, that is, the different light source device 1 provides different external orders. The shades of light are the same.

Alternatively, the plurality of color regions of the first color wheel 12 may also have distribution regions of different sizes; in particular, the plurality of color regions occupy different angles on the first color wheel 12. For a single color zone, the angle refers to the travel trajectory of the excitation light in the color zone, and the resulting fan angle with respect to the center of rotation of the first color wheel 12, as shown by 01 in Fig. 2. The angles of the different color zones are different, and the corresponding light rays have different light exits. The unequal angle of each color zone may mean that the angles of the respective color zones are not equal, and may also refer to the angle of one or more color zones among them, which is different from the angles of other color zones. The color angle of each color zone of the first color wheel 12 is unequal, and can be further matched with the gradation sensor of the endoscope system which will be described later, improving the image quality of the endoscope system.

[0045] The optical system is used to direct the light provided by the first color wheel 12 to the light exit opening 14. The optical system may include a coupling mirror 13, and the coupling mirror 13 focuses the light to facilitate introduction of light into a light guiding device such as an optical fiber connected to the light source device 1.

[0046] The light source device of the embodiment of the present invention irradiates the fluorescent material on the color wheel with excitation light, and provides ordinary illumination light of a specific wavelength range by wavelength conversion without generating light of other unnecessary wavelength ranges. The light source design can make full use of the light energy of the excitation light, avoid energy waste, and reduce the excess heat generated in the device, and the monochromatic light generated by the conversion can also have higher illumination intensity, which helps to improve the illumination of the light source device. The quality of image acquisition. In addition, the color area on the color wheel can be flexibly partitioned, and the fluorescent material and the semiconductor light source can be flexibly selected to generate illumination light closer to the user's needs.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the light source device 1 of the present invention further includes a detecting portion 16 that can detect a color region disposed on the optical path of the excitation light, thereby determining that the first color wheel 12 is Which color region is located on the optical path of the excitation light, and the detecting portion 16 generates an indication signal indicating the detected color region based on the detection result. The light source control unit 15 controls the light flux of the excitation light emitted from the first semiconductor light source 11 based on the instruction signal of the detection unit 16, that is, the light source control unit 15 controls the first semiconductor light source 11 to emit excitation light of different luminous fluxes for different color regions. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, when the detecting portion 16 detects the red region 12a, the light source control portion 15 causes the first semiconductor light source 11 to increase the luminous flux of the excitation light, and detects the green region 12b, causing the first semiconductor The light source 11 reduces the luminous flux of the excitation light, and the transmission region 12c is detected to increase the luminous flux of the excitation light by the first semiconductor light source, but to a lesser extent than the irradiation of the red region 12a. In some examples, the light source device 1 is pre-set with a corresponding relationship between different color regions and the excitation light flux. After receiving the indication signal, the light source control portion 15 can determine the light to be output by the first semiconductor light source 11 according to the preset correspondence. Flux size. For example, in the first semiconductor light source, a laser or a laser diode 吋 can be used, and the luminous flux of the generated excitation light can be adjusted by adjusting the operating current or PWM of the laser or the laser diode. The adjustment of the excitation light flux by the light source device 1 can make the light source device 1 facilitate the supply of monochromatic light of different luminous flux and energy, and the light source design can further cooperate with the grayscale sensor of the endoscope system to be described later to improve the endoscope. Image quality of the mirror system.

[0048] In some examples, the detecting portion 16 includes a photodetector and a marker disposed on the color wheel. The photodetector determines which color zone is currently detected based on the reflected light received from the mark. The photodetector can be an infrared photodetector. The photodetector may include a photo-electric tube formed by the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion. After the light emitted from the light-emitting portion to the mark is reflected, the reflected light is received by the light-receiving portion to determine the intensity of the light. The mark body on the color wheel may include a first mark body having a high reflectance and a low absorptance, and the generated reflected light is strong, and the photodetector correspondingly generates a high level signal. The mark body on the color wheel may include a second mark body having a low reflectance and a high absorptance, and the generated reflected light is weak, and the photodetector generates a low level signal correspondingly.

. According to the intensity of the reflected light, the photodetector can determine which combination of markers or markers are currently detected, thereby determining which one is detected according to the correspondence between the pre-established marker (or combination of markers) and the color region. A color area, according to which an indication signal corresponding to the color area is generated.

[0049] For example, the manner in which the marker arrays are combined may be used to distinguish different color regions. The light source device may be provided with an arrangement 1: a first mark and a second mark, an arrangement 2: a second mark and a first mark; and an arrangement 3: a second mark and a second mark. In this arrangement, the photodetector will receive strong and weak, weak & strong and weak & weak reflected light combined signals, thereby distinguishing the corresponding color regions of each combination.

[0050] Each of the marking bodies may be disposed on the wheel body of the color wheel, in particular at the interface between the two color zones. Each of the markers may also be disposed on the rotating shaft of the color wheel, and the setting position preferably corresponds to the boundary between the two regions. In order to prevent the marking body from being broken or destroyed by the excitation light, the position of the marking body on the wheel body does not fall into the laser beam path.

3 shows a light source device 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The light source device 2 includes a first semiconductor light source 11 , a second semiconductor light source 21 , a first color wheel 12 , an optical system, a light exit port 14 , The light source control unit 23 and the detection unit 16. The first semiconductor light source 11 provides a plurality of monochromatic lights of different wavelength ranges, the light source device 2 is used for ordinary light illumination, and the second semiconductor light source 21 generates narrow-band light capable of enhancing the blood vessel imaging effect, so that the light source device 2 For special light illumination, a narrow band can usually refer to a wavelength band of a few nanometers. Monochromatic light And the narrow-band light is transmitted to the light exit port 14 via the optical system. The light source control unit 23 can control the first semiconductor light source 11 and the first color wheel 12 to cooperate to provide a plurality of monochromatic lights of different wavelength ranges, and can also switch the first semiconductor light source 11 and the second semiconductor light source 21 to The work is divided, that is, the first semiconductor light source is turned on, and the second semiconductor light source 21 is turned off, and vice versa. The first semiconductor light source 11, the first color wheel 12, and the detecting portion 16 have substantially the same configuration as the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0052] The second semiconductor light source 21 is a laser or a laser diode, and the narrow-band light generated may be a narrow-band blue laser having a peak wavelength ranging from at least 390 nm to 460 nm; the narrow-band light may also be a narrow-band green laser. In particular, the use of narrow-band light to illuminate the internal sputum of the living body can increase the contrast of the capillary due to the strong absorption of light by the blood to the narrow-band light, and is advantageous for improving the imaging quality and clarity of the medical endoscope to the tissue. The narrow-band light is directly generated by the semiconductor light source, which also makes full use of the light energy to reduce the heat, and the light intensity of the narrow-band light illumination is also improved.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical system includes a dichroic mirror 22 and a coupling mirror 13. The dichroic mirror 22 is disposed on the optical path of the narrow-band light and the monochromatic light supplied from the first color wheel 11. The dichroic mirror 22 includes a front side and a rear side, and the front and rear sides are defined with respect to the light exit port, and the light exit port is forward, and the light exit port is rearward. The monochromatic light supplied from the first color wheel 12 is transmitted on both the front side and the rear side of the dichroic mirror 22, and the narrow band light is reflected by the front side of the dichroic mirror 22. The dichroic mirror 22 acts to combine the transmitted monochromatic light and the reflected narrow-band light into the same optical path. During the bifurcation operation of the two semiconductor light sources, the monochromatic light and the narrow-band light are transmitted through the dichroic mirror 22, and the bifurcation is transmitted along the same optical path to the light exit port 14. The coupling mirror 13 is disposed between the light exit opening 14 and the dichroic mirror 22 to further focus the light on the optical path.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present invention, the light source device of the present invention may further include a second color wheel 17, and the second color wheel 17 may also include different wavelengths under the excitation light emitted by the first semiconductor light source 11. A plurality of color regions of a plurality of monochromatic lights in a range. For example, the first color wheel 12 and the second color wheel 17 may have the same color zone configuration (number, phosphor type, area size, etc.), and the second color wheel 17 may be used as a spare part for the first color wheel 12. When the first splitter wheel 12 is aged or fails, the second color wheel 17 is activated to ensure normal operation of the light source device. For example, the first color wheel 12 and the second color wheel 17 may have different color zone configurations, such as number, phosphor type, and/or area size, such that after excitation light illumination, the two color wheels may provide different monochromatic colors. Light output. In this case, the light source device has a first working mode and a second working mode under normal light observation, and the light source control unit 23 controls: the first color wheel 12 only accesses the optical path of the excitation light in the first working mode. The second color wheel 17 only accesses the optical path of the excitation light in the second working mode; the two form a branching working mode in different working modes. For example, the first color wheel has three color regions, respectively providing blue light, red light, and green light, and the light rays of the three color lights are the same, and the second color wheel has four color regions, respectively providing blue light and red light. , green light and yellow light, and the red light is longer than the light of other colors, the yellow light is a monochromatic light provided by the second color wheel, and the wavelength range is different from the three colors provided by the first color wheel. Light. Thereafter, the first color wheel provides color imaging of the three primary colors in the first working mode, and the second color wheel further provides a color image integrating the yellow light image in the second working mode, and finally changes the color rendering effect of the obtained color image. .

[0055] The first color wheel 12 and the second color wheel 17 described above may be a single rotating wheel, and the plurality of color regions are a plurality of regions divided on the wheel body, the single rotating wheel is rotated, and the plurality of regions are branched. The optical path rotated to the excitation light is sequentially illuminated by the excitation light. The first color wheel 12 and the second color wheel 17 may also be a wheel set including a plurality of rotating wheels, and the plurality of color regions are respectively located on the plurality of rotating wheels. During the rotation of the plurality of rotating wheels, the plurality of regions are divided. The 吋 is rotated to the optical path of the excitation light, and is sequentially illuminated by the excitation light.

Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 provides an endoscope system 100 using the light source device of the present invention. The endoscope system 100 includes a light source device 1 or 2, an endoscope 3, a main body 4, and a display 5; in other optional configurations, the endoscope system 100 may further include a trolley that functions as a device, forming a micro A pneumoperitoneum in the environment, a cleaning device for cleaning the endoscope 3, and the like. Taking the light source device 2 of Fig. 3 as an example, the light source device 2 can provide ordinary light illumination and special light illumination, and the endoscope system 100 can perform narrow light special light observation in addition to ordinary light observation.

[0057] The excitation light emitted by the first semiconductor light source 11 is focused and irradiated onto the first color wheel 12. As the first color wheel 12 rotates, different wavelength conversion regions thereon are sequentially illuminated by the excitation light to generate different colors. Fluorescence, the transmission region transmits the excitation light (fluorescence and the transmitted excitation light are collectively referred to as monochromatic light). The second semiconductor light source 21 can then generate narrow band light, such as a narrow band blue laser. In the normal illumination mode, the first semiconductor light source 11 is turned off, the second semiconductor light source 21 is turned off, and the monochromatic light is transmitted through the dichroic mirror 22 and the coupling mirror 13 to enter the light guiding fiber 31 of the endoscope 3, and the light guiding fiber. 31 transmits monochromatic light to the front end of the insertion portion 32 to illuminate the tissue with ordinary light. In the special light illumination mode, the first semiconductor light source 11 is turned off, the second semiconductor light source 21 is turned on, and the narrow-band blue laser light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 22, and is focused by the coupling mirror 13 into the light guiding optical fiber 31, and the light guiding optical fiber 31 is narrowed. The blue laser light is conducted to the front end of the insertion portion 32 to illuminate the tissue with special light. Illuminated The tissue is imaged by the objective lens 33 on the gradation sensor 34 (such as a CCD or CMOS sensor), the imaging control portion 41 of the host 4 can control the frame rate of the gradation sensor 34 and the exposure time, and the imaging control portion 41 can be based on the gradation sensor 34. The acquired image signal generates an image, and the image data is transmitted to the system control unit 42 of the host computer, processed by the image processor 43, and finally displayed on the display 5.

[0058] wherein, in the normal light observation mode, the imaging control unit 41 can control the exposure of the gradation sensor 34 to image acquisition under each monochromatic light according to the exit pupil of each monochromatic light provided by the first semiconductor light source 11. In the daytime. After receiving the self-organized reflected light, the gradation sensor 34 generates an image signal in the form of an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion. The imaging control section 41 correspondingly outputs a monochrome image after receiving the image signal, and then combines the respective monochrome images into a color image. In the special light observation mode, the imaging control portion 41 also controls the exposure of the gradation sensor 34 under narrow-band light according to the exit pupil of the narrow-band light supplied from the second semiconductor light source 21. In the narrow-band light illumination, the imaging control section 41 generates a clear monochrome image based on the image signal generation blood vessel.

The light source devices 1, 2 of the present invention are applied to the endoscope system 100A, and can further cooperate with the gradation sensor 34 to improve the quality of the color image generated by the endoscope system 100 under ordinary light illumination. In particular, the grayscale sensor has a different response to monochromatic light of different wavelength ranges. As shown in Figure 5, the grayscale sensor is more responsive to green light than red and blue. By using the light source device and the gradation sensor 34吋 of the present invention in combination, the response difference of the gradation sensor to different monochromatic lights can be compensated from the perspective of the light source: First, the luminous flux outputted by the semiconductor light source is adjusted to ensure illumination. The luminous flux value of the different color regions of the first color wheel satisfies the desired ratio; and the second method, the structure of the first color wheel is designed according to the expected ratio of the exposure time of the monochromatic light of different colors, so that the occupation angle of the different color regions of the first color wheel The ratio is the same as the expected exposure ratio. In these two ways, the energy ratio of the gray light sensor finally receiving different monochromatic light can satisfy the expected value, and the difference of the response of the gray sensor to different monochromatic light can be compensated.

[0060] The first semiconductor light source 11 is provided with a blue laser light, and the first color wheel 12 has a red region 12a, a green region 12b, and a blue region (ie, a transmissive region 12c) as an example, but the specific example is for example only. Explain that the light source design compensates for the grayscale sensor without specific limitations.

[0061] For example, according to the difference in response of the gradation sensor 34 to red light, green light, and blue light, the area of the green area 12b can be reduced, and the area of the red area 12a and the blue area can be increased, eventually making each color area The area sizes are sorted as follows: Red area 12a>Blue area> Green area 12b. Therefore, the length of the three monochromatic lights is satisfied. : Red Light > Blu-ray > Green Light. When the endoscope system 100 is operated, the imaging control unit 41 synchronously adjusts the exposure time of the gradation sensor 34 to shorten the exposure time of the gradation sensor 34 to the green area 12b, and exposes the exposure area of the red area 12a and the blue area. Lengthen up. In this configuration, when the luminous flux of the excitation light emitted by the first semiconductor light source 11 does not change, the green light energy received by the gradation sensor 34 decreases, and the red and blue light energy increases, compensating for the gradation sensor 34 to respond strongly to the green light. , weak response to red and blue light.

[0062] For example, each color zone has an equal angle 吋, and according to the difference in response of the gradation sensor 34 to red light, green light, and blue light, the light flux of the first semiconductor light source 11 illuminating the red region 12a and the blue region may be increased, and / or reducing the luminous flux of the first semiconductor light source 11 to illuminate the green region 12b, so that in the case of the same illumination, red, green and blue light will have different energy levels, wherein the energy of the three monochromatic lights satisfies : Red Light > Blu-ray > Green Light. After the endoscope system 100 is operated, the imaging control unit 41 controls the gradation sensor 34 to expose the same day under three kinds of monochromatic light. Since the energy of the three kinds of monochromatic lights provided by the light source device 2 is different, the gradation sensor receives The red, blue, and green light energies are different, compensating for the grayscale sensor 34's strong response to green light and weak response to red and blue light.

[0063] For example, the color regions on the first color wheel 12 may have different angular sizes, or the first semiconductor light source 11 may be irradiated with different color regions 吋 to emit excitation light of different luminous fluxes.

The imaging control unit 41 can adjust the exposure time of the gamma sensor 34 based on the instruction signal output by the detecting unit 16 after detecting the color region. The detecting unit 16 outputs an instruction signal to the system control unit 42. The system control unit 42 can determine the magnitude of the luminous flux to be output by the first semiconductor light source 11 based on the instruction signal, and output the information of the luminous flux size to the light source control unit 23, and the light source control unit. 23 controls the first semiconductor light source 11 to output the excitation light of the magnitude of the luminous flux. The system control unit 42 determines the color of the monochromatic light to be output by the first semiconductor light source 11 based on the instruction signal, and notifies the imaging control unit 41 of the color information, and the imaging control unit 41 controls the gradation sensor 34 to simultaneously perform exposure. During the exposure period, to obtain a monochrome image of the corresponding color.

[0065] When the amplitudes of the monochrome images output by the gradation sensor are the same, for example, in the color zone division mode of FIG. 2, the amplitudes of the red light image, the green light image, and the blue light image are the same, and the final synthesized color image has the best quality. . The amplitude of the image depends on the intensity of the image signal obtained by photoelectric conversion of the grayscale sensor. Therefore, in the above-described scheme of adjusting the size of each color region distribution region or adjusting the excitation light flux for irradiating each color region, when the gradation sensor is irradiated with monochromatic light of different energies, an image signal of the same amplitude is obtained, The imaging control section 41 can obtain a monochrome image of uniform amplitude or as much as possible.

[0066] The above endoscope system uses a semiconductor light source for illumination, and adopts a grayscale sensor for image acquisition, which can overcome the shortcomings of short life of the light source, unadjustable luminous flux, and weak light of special light observation, and can overcome the low resolution of the image sensor. The disadvantages of easy saturation, special light observation resolution and energy loss, and the synergy between the two can make the endoscope system efficiently obtain high quality images.

[0067] The light source control part of the present invention may adopt a control circuit design controlled by the system control part, and may also adopt other hardware design, software, firmware or a combination thereof. The imaging control part of the present invention may adopt hardware, software, firmware, Or a combination thereof is implemented in an endoscope system, thereby enabling the endoscope system to generate a color image, a special image with enhanced blood vessel effect, obtain a high quality image, etc., according to various embodiments of the present invention, using hardware such as an MCU And other general purpose processors.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified, or some of the technical features may be equivalently substituted; and the modifications or substitutions do not depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

technical problem

Problem solution

Advantageous effects of the invention

Claims

Claim

[Attach 1] A light source device, comprising:

Light source control unit;

a first semiconductor light source that generates excitation light;

a first color wheel comprising a plurality of color regions; a plurality of color regions of the first color wheel may be branched on an optical path of the excitation light; the plurality of color regions including one or more of a fluorescent material disposed a wavelength conversion region, wherein the fluorescent material of the wavelength conversion region generates first monochromatic light under illumination of the excitation light, the wavelength range of the first monochromatic light being different from the wavelength range of the excitation light;

An optical system for guiding the first monochromatic light to a light exit of the light source device.

[Claim 2] The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of color regions further includes a transmissive region that provides the second monochromatic light under illumination of the excitation light, The wavelength range of the second monochromatic light is the same as the wavelength range of the excitation light.

[Claim 3] The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of color regions of the first color wheel have distribution regions of different sizes.

[Claim 4] The light source device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second semiconductor light source that generates narrow-band light, the optical system being further configured to direct the narrow-band light to a light exit of the light source device; wherein the light source control portion controls the first semiconductor light source and the second semiconductor The light source works separately.

[Claim 5] The light source device according to claim 4, wherein the optical system includes a dichroic mirror, and an optical path of the narrow-band light and an optical path of the first monochromatic light pass through the second The color mirrors are combined into the same light path.

[Claim 6] The light source device according to claim 5, wherein the optical system further includes a coupling mirror disposed between the dichroic mirror and the light exit port.

[Claim 7] The light source device according to claim 1, further comprising a second color wheel including a plurality of color regions; wherein the plurality of color regions of the second color wheel are respectively located at the a plurality of third monochromatic lights are generated by the excitation of the excitation light on the optical path of the excitation light;

The light source control unit controls the first color wheel and the second color wheel to selectively access the excitation light Light path.

The light source device according to claim 7, wherein a wavelength range of one or more of the plurality of third monochromatic lights is different from a wavelength range of the first monochromatic light.

The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the excitation light is a blue laser light, and the one or more wavelength conversion regions include a red light conversion region and a green light conversion region; The fluorescent material disposed in the red light conversion region is a red fluorescent material, and the red fluorescent material generates red monochromatic light under the illumination of the blue laser light; the fluorescent material disposed in the green light conversion region is a green fluorescent material, and the green fluorescent material The material produces green monochromatic light upon illumination by the blue laser.

The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a detecting unit configured to detect a color region located on an optical path of the excitation light, thereby generating a color region indicating the detected color region The light source control unit controls the light flux of the excitation light emitted by the first semiconductor light source based on the instruction signal generated by the detection unit.

An endoscope system, comprising:

A light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 10;

The insertion portion is provided with a grayscale sensor at the front end thereof, and the grayscale sensor performs image acquisition under the first monochromatic light to obtain an image signal;

a control system comprising an imaging control unit and an image processing unit:

The imaging control unit controls an exposure period of the image acquisition by the gradation sensor under the first monochromatic light according to the exit pupil of the first monochromatic light, and generates an image signal based on the gradation sensor Image,

The image processing unit performs image processing on an image generated by the imaging control unit, and outputs the processed image;

a display for displaying the processed image.