US 11,903,563 B2
Offset illumination of a scene using multiple emitters in a fluorescence imaging system
Joshua D. Talbert, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Donald M. Wichern, Ogden, UT (US)
Assigned to Cilag GmbH International, Zug (CH)
Filed by Cilag GmbH International, Zug (CH)
Filed on Apr. 10, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/845,970.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/864,268, filed on Jun. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0397259 A1, Dec. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 1/04 (2006.01); G01N 21/64 (2006.01); G02B 23/24 (2006.01); G02B 27/14 (2006.01); A61B 1/06 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 1/043 (2013.01) [A61B 1/000095 (2022.02); A61B 1/063 (2013.01); A61B 1/0638 (2013.01); A61B 1/0646 (2013.01); A61B 1/0655 (2022.02); A61B 5/0033 (2013.01); A61B 5/0071 (2013.01); A61B 5/7425 (2013.01); G01N 21/6456 (2013.01); G02B 23/2469 (2013.01); G02B 27/141 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0233 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
an emitter for emitting pulses of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the emitter comprises a first emitter for emitting pulses of a first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation and a second emitter for emitting pulses of a second wavelength of electromagnetic radiation;
an image sensor comprising a pixel array for sensing reflected electromagnetic radiation; and
a controller in electronic communication with the emitter and the image sensor;
wherein the image sensor is configured to generate a plurality of exposure frames, wherein each of the plurality of exposure frames corresponds to one or more pulses of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter;
wherein the emitter actively pulses electromagnetic radiation during a blanking period of the image sensor when active pixels of the pixel array are not being read; and
wherein at least a portion of the pulses of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter comprises a fluorescence excitation pulse;
wherein at least a portion of the plurality of exposure frames comprises a fluorescence exposure frame corresponding to the fluorescence excitation pulse;
wherein the controller instructs the emitter to vary a duration, or a magnitude, or the duration and the magnitude of the fluorescence excitation pulse at a constant display frame rate to vary an amount of electromagnetic radiation received by the pixel array to control resolution of the fluorescence exposure frame.