US 12,236,624 B2
Optical caliper for 3-D endoscopic imaging and measurement
Carlos Omar Morales, Tewksbury, MA (US); Xuanye Wang, Reading, MA (US); Eduardo Tepichin-Rodríguez, Puebla (MX); Andrea-Fernanda Muñoz-Potosi, Santander (CO); Luis-Gabriel Valdivieso-González, Santander (CO); and Ponciano Rodriguez-Montero, Puebla (MX)
Assigned to SMITH & NEPHEW, INC., Memphis, TN (US); SMITH & NEPHEW ORTHOPAEDICS AG, Zug (CH); and SMITH & NEPHEW ASIA PACIFIC PTE. LIMITED, Singapore (SG)
Filed by Smith & Nephew, Inc., Memphis, TN (US); Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics AG, Zug (CH); and Smith & Nephew Asia Pacific Pte Limited, Singapore (SG)
Filed on Sep. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/483,305.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/082,056, filed on Sep. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0092805 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 7/521 (2017.01); G06T 5/50 (2006.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01); G06T 15/06 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 7/521 (2017.01) [G06T 5/50 (2013.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01); G06T 15/06 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10048 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10068 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for an endoscope, comprising:
a camera head coupled to an optical channel;
a light port coupled to the endoscope and configured to receive a first light ray, wherein the first light ray travels through a first optical path along an optical axis of the optical channel;
a depth measurement module coupled to the endoscope, wherein the depth measurement module is configured to transmit a second light ray through a second optical path along the optical axis and includes a light source configured to transmit the second light ray and a microcontroller coupled to a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) configured to generate a grating through which the second light ray passes to project a grid pattern on a surface;
an objective lens configured to collimate the second light ray;
an image sensor coupled to the camera head and configured to receive a first set of images pertaining to the first light ray and a second set of images pertaining to the second light ray; and
a processing device configured to receive the first and second sets of images from the image sensor and use the first and second sets of images to generate one or more three-dimensional (3-D) images of the surface, wherein the processing device adjusts a density of the grid pattern using the LCD to displace a focal point of the objective lens and varies a distance between self-images of the grating and the focal point of the objective lens to obtain depth information of the surface.