Image capture unit and an imaging pipeline with enhanced color performance in a surgical instrument and method
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
A61B-001/00
A61B-001/04
출원번호
US-0209121
(2011-08-12)
등록번호
US-8684914
(2014-04-01)
발명자
/ 주소
McDowall, Ian
Stern, John
출원인 / 주소
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
6인용 특허 :
6
초록▼
In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical stru
In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The enhanced images may include (a) visible images with enhanced feature definition, in which a particular feature in the scene is emphasized to the operator of minimally invasive surgical system; (b) images having increased image apparent resolution; (c) images having increased dynamic range; (d) images displayed in a way based on a pixel color component vector having three or more color components; and (e) images having extended depth of field.
대표청구항▼
1. An apparatus comprising: a first image capture sensor comprising a first image capture sensor surface;a second image capture sensor comprising a second image capture sensor surface;a prism assembly, positioned to receive light, comprising: a distal face through which the received light enters the
1. An apparatus comprising: a first image capture sensor comprising a first image capture sensor surface;a second image capture sensor comprising a second image capture sensor surface;a prism assembly, positioned to receive light, comprising: a distal face through which the received light enters the prism assembly;a beam splitter comprising a plurality of notch filters, wherein the plurality of notch filters reflects a first set of light components as a first portion of the received light, and wherein the plurality of notch filters passes a second set of light components as a second portion of the received light; anda surface configured to direct the first portion of the received light onto the first image capture sensor; anda reflective unit positioned to receive the second portion of the received light, the reflective unit being configured to direct the second portion of the received light to the second image capture sensor,wherein a first optical path length from the distal face to the first image capture sensor surface is about equal to a second optical path length from the distal face to the second image capture sensor surface. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second image capture sensor surfaces are coplanar. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first image capture sensor surface is in a first plane, the second image capture sensor surface is in a second plane, and the first and second planes are substantially parallel and are separated by a known distance. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second image capture sensors comprise different areas of an image capture sensor chip. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an endoscope, the endoscope comprising a distal end, the distal end including the first and second image capture sensors, the prism assembly, and the reflective unit. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a stereoscopic endoscope comprising a distal end, a pair of channels, and a plurality of first and second image capture sensors, prism assemblies, and reflective assemblies,wherein the first image capture sensor, the second image capture sensor, the prism assembly, and the reflective unit are included in the plurality, andwherein each channel in the pair of channels includes, in the distal end of the stereoscopic endoscope, a different first image capture sensor of the plurality, a different second image capture sensor of the plurality, a different prism assembly of the plurality, and a different reflective unit of the plurality. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prism assembly comprises a pentaprism. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a stop positioned distal to the prism assembly. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, the first and second image capture sensors comprising color sensors. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: an illuminator generating output light including a plurality of color components. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a color correction module coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, the color correction module being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a first image captured by the first image capture sensor, the color correction module being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a second image captured by the second image capture sensor, and the color correction module being configured to generate an N-element color component vector for a pixel in an output image from a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the first image and a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the second image, wherein N is at least three. 12. The apparatus of claim 9, each of the color sensors comprising a Bayer red, green, green, blue color filter array; andthe apparatus further comprising: an illuminator comprising: a first laser illumination source generating a first red color component output illumination;a second laser illumination source generating a second red color component output illumination, wherein the second red color component output illumination is different from the first red color component output illumination;a third laser illumination source generating a first green color component output illumination;a fourth laser illumination source generating a second green color component output illumination, wherein the second green color component output illumination is different from the first green color component output illumination;a fifth laser illumination source generating a first blue color component output illumination; anda sixth laser illumination source generating a second blue color component output illumination, wherein the second blue color component output illumination is different from the first blue color component output illumination. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of notch filters reflects the first red color component light, the first green color component light, and the first blue color component light as the first portion of the received light, and wherein the plurality of notch filters passes the second red color component light, the second green color component light, and the second blue color component light as the second portion of the received light. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a controller coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, the controller being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a first image captured by the first image capture sensor, the controller being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a second image captured by the second image capture sensor, and the controller being configured to generate a six element color component vector for a pixel in an output image from a three color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the first image and a three color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the second image. 15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: a broadband white light illuminator. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of notch filters reflect a first portion of a red color component, a first portion of a green color component, and a first portion of a blue color component of the received light, and passes a second portion of the red color component, a second portion of the green color component, and a second portion of the blue color component of the received light. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a controller coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, the controller being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a first image captured by the first image capture sensor, the controller being configured to receive a demosaiced image of a second image captured by the second image capture sensor, and the controller being configured to generate an N element color for a pixel in an output image from a three color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the first image and a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the second image, wherein N is an integer in a range of three to six. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: a display coupled to the controller and configured to receive an N element color component vector for each pixel. 19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a lens system positioned distal to the prism assembly, the lens system configured to focus different wavelengths of light at different distances from the lens system. 20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a controller coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, the controller being configured to apply a digital filter kernel to a first image captured by the first image capture sensor and to a second image captured by the second image capture sensor and to generate third and fourth images, the controller being configured to demosaic the third and fourth images, and the controller being configured to generate an N element color component vector for a pixel in an output image from a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the demosaiced third image and a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the demosaiced fourth image, wherein N is an integer in a range of three to six. 21. The apparatus of claim 9, each of the color sensors comprising a Bayer red, green, green, blue color filter array; andthe apparatus further comprising: an illuminator comprising: a first laser illumination source generating a red color component output illumination;a second laser illumination source generating a green color component output illumination; anda third laser illumination source generating a blue color component output illumination. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plurality of notch filters reflects red color component light, green color component light, and blue color component light as the first portion of the received light and passes fluorescence. 23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a controller coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, the controller being configured to generate at least a four element color component vector for a pixel in an output image from a color component vector for a corresponding pixel in the first image and a color component vector for a corresponding pixel in the second image, wherein three of the elements in the four element color component vector are for a visible color image, and a fourth of the elements in the four element color component vector is for a fluorescent image. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the fluorescence is included in a plurality of fluorescences and each fluorescence comprises a different color. 25. The apparatus of claim 21, the illuminator further comprising a fluorescence excitation light source; andthe apparatus further comprising a filter mounted to block light from the fluorescence excitation light source in the received light. 26. A method comprising: receiving, by a prism assembly of an image capture unit, light from a common front end optical system, the prism assembly including a beam splitter and a surface, the beam splitter comprising a plurality of notch filters;separating, by the plurality of notch filters of the image capture unit, the light received from the common from end optical system into a first plurality of light components and a second plurality of light componentsdirecting, by the surface of the prism assembly, the first plurality of light components to a first image capture sensor of the image capture unit;directing, by a reflective unit of the image capture unit, the second plurality of light components to a second image capture sensor of the image capture unit;capturing, in the first image capture sensor of the image capture unit, a first image from the first plurality of light components;capturing, in the second image capture sensor of the image capture unit, a second image from the second plurality of light components, wherein a first optical path length in the image capture unit to the first image capture sensor is about equal to a second optical path length in the image capture unit to the second image capture sensor; andgenerating, by a controller coupled to the first and second image capture sensors, an N-element color component vector for a pixel in an output image from a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the first image and a color component vector of a corresponding pixel in the second image, wherein N is at least three. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein a first image capture sensor surface of the first image capture sensor and a second image capture sensor surface of the second image capture sensor are coplanar. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein a first image capture sensor surface of the first image capture sensor is in a first plane, a second image capture sensor surface of the second image capture sensor is in a second plane, and the first and second planes are substantially parallel and are separated by a known distance.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (6)
Moll, Frederic H.; Rosa, David J.; Ramans, Andris D.; Blumenkranz, Stephen J.; Guthart, Gary S.; Niemeyer, Gunter D.; Nowlin, William C.; Salisbury, Jr., J. Kenneth; Tierney, Michael J.; Mintz, David, Arm cart for telerobotic surgical system.
Takahashi Susumu,JPX ; Nakamura Shinichi,JPX ; Takebayashi Tsutomu,JPX, Stereoscopic endoscope objective lens system having a plurality of front lens groups and one common rear lens group.
Tierney Michael J. ; Cooper Thomas G. ; Julian Chris A. ; Blumenkranz Stephen J. ; Guthart Gary S. ; Younge Robert G., Surgical robotic tools, data architecture, and use.
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