Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image observation apparatus configured to perform image capturing of an object to allow an observer to observe an object reconstructed image, which is suitable for, for example, an endoscope apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Image observation apparatus like the above mentioned one are widely used as industrial endoscopes or medical endoscopes, each being inserted into a thin lumen and performing image capturing of a subject (object) existing inside the lumen to enable an observation of a subject reconstructed image (object reconstructed image). However, reducing a diameter of the apparatus so as to enable insertion into a thinner lumen makes it difficult, because of area and volume restrictions, to maintain performances of electronic devices constituting the apparatus, in particular that of an image sensor at a high level. Furthermore, reducing the diameter of the apparatus makes it difficult, because of design, manufacturing and assembly restrictions, to maintain qualities of optical elements constituting the apparatus at a high level. Thus, a quality of an acquired image is degraded.
A reference literature: Youngwoon Choi et al., “Scanner-Free and Wide-Field Endoscopic Imaging by Using a Single Multimode Optical Fiber”, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 109, 203901 (2012) discloses, in order to solve such problems, an endoscope apparatus performing image capturing of an object inside a body using only one multimode optical fiber. This apparatus is provided with no imaging optical system such as a lens and no sensor at its endoscope tip and realizes image information transmission using only one multimode optical fiber whose diameter is several hundred microns.
Description will be made of a principle of the endoscope apparatus disclosed in the above reference literature. This apparatus considers the multimode optical fiber as one scatterer and acquires beforehand “a transmitting matrix” of scattering matrixes expressing light propagation characteristics in the scatterer; the transmitting matrix expresses a propagation characteristic on a transmitting component.
When a near-entrance end surface located on an inside-body side is defined as an OP plane (ξη plane) and a near-exit end surface located on an outside-body side is defined as an IP plane (xy plane), a relation between the transmitting matrix T, an image row EIp on the IP plane and an image row EOP on the OP plane is expressed by following expression (1).
E
IP(x,y)=T EOP(ξ,η) (1)
Rewriting expression (1) using an inverse matrix T1 of the transmitting matrix T provides a definition expressed by following expression (2).
E
OP(ξ,η)=T−1EIP(x,y) (2)
That is, it is only necessary to acquire the image row on the IP plane (outside-body side near-exit end surface) of the optical fiber and the transmitting matrix T in order to obtain an image on the OP plane (inside-body side near-entrance end surface) of the optical fiber. When the transmitting matrix T is considered as a matrix acquired by converting an object image row EOP(θξ, θη, ξ, η) obtained by illuminating an object on the OP plane with a collimated light in a θξ, θη direction, using an image converting matrix Efiber for an image conversion from the OP plane to the IP plane by fiber propagation, a relation expressed by following expression (3) is established.
The relation of expression (3) is useful for experimentally acquiring the transmitting matrix T. Specifically, causing the coherent light to actually sequentially enter the optical fiber from its inside-body side at an incident angle of θξ, θη enables acquiring an image row having a light intensity distribution formed on the outside-body side near-exit end surface IP (xy plane) at each time when the coherent light enters. From expression (3), when the object image row EOP has a uniform distribution (when the collimated light whose incident angle is θξ, θη directly enters the optical fiber), the image converting matrix Efiber for the image conversion from the OP plane to the IP plane by the fiber propagation directly becomes the transmitting matrix T. Acquiring thus the light propagation characteristic of the multimode optical fiber once enables acquiring a reflected light intensity distribution of the object placed at the inside-body side near-entrance end surface OP using the inverse matrix calculation of expression (2) and the integration calculation of expression (3) (averaging of speckle images).
The apparatus disclosed in the above reference literature can realize an endoscope apparatus whose diameter is extremely small. However, the disclosed apparatus involves the following problems (reasons for generation of these problems will be described later).
1. The calculations of expressions (2) and (3) need a large amount of image processing calculations, so that a long time is required for acquiring an object image, which makes it impossible to perform real-time display required by the endoscope apparatus.
2. In order to acquire beforehand the light propagation characteristic of the optical fiber, it is necessary to perform a measurement with multiplexing of the incident angle θξ, θη to the optical fiber, which requires a long time for calculation.
3. A difference of a state of the optical fiber in observing the object inside the body from that in acquiring beforehand the light propagation characteristic of the optical fiber changes the transmitting matrix T, which makes it impossible to produce (reconstruct) a correct object image by the above calculations.
The present invention provides an image observation apparatus capable of reducing a time required for calculations for reconstructing an image of an object captured through an optical waveguide such as an optical fiber to allow real-time observation of the object image.
The present invention provides as an aspect thereof an image observation apparatus including a light source, a first optical waveguide, an image sensor configured to perform photoelectric conversion, a second optical waveguide, and a spatial light modulator configured to modulate light. The apparatus is configured to introduce an object light, which is at least part of an object illumination light emitted from the light source and projected onto an object and which is reflected by the object, through the first optical waveguide to the image sensor; introduce a reference light, which is emitted from the light source and passes through an optical path different from that of the object light, to the image sensor; record an interference fringe, which is formed by the object light and the reference light, through the image sensor as a hologram; form the recorded hologram on the spatial light modulator and illuminate the spatial light modulator with a hologram illumination light corresponding to the reference light to generate a reconstruction light; and cause the reconstruction light, which enters the second optical waveguide optically equivalent to the first optical waveguide and exits from the second optical waveguide, to form an object reconstructed image.
Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The endoscope apparatus of this embodiment is inserted into a thin lumen to allow an observer to observe an inside of the lumen, so that it aims especially to make its diameter as small as possible.
Therefore, the endoscope apparatus uses, as the first and second optical waveguides 10 and 18, optical fibers.
However, a singlemode optical fiber is not suitable for the endoscope apparatus because the singlemode fiber only can allow a light component near an optical axis, which is part of a reflected light from a subject, to propagate therein. Thus, the endoscope apparatus of this embodiment uses, as the first and second optical waveguides 10 and 18, multimode optical fibers.
The endoscope apparatus of this embodiment performs, using a holography principle, recording of holograms and reconstruction of subject reconstructed images. First, description will be made of a method of recording the holograms with referring to
An object illumination light from which the object light is generated passes through an optical path indicated by reference numerals 1→2→3→4→8→9 in FIG. 1 and then passes through the first optical waveguide to be projected onto (that is, to illuminate) the subject 11. The object illumination light enters the first optical waveguide 10 from its one end opposite to a subject side end (object side end), proceeds toward the subject 11 (that is, in an object illumination direction) and exits from the subject side end to be projected onto the subject 11.
Of this object illumination light, a light component reflected at a surface of the subject 11 and re-entering the first optical waveguide 10 to propagate in a direction opposite to the object illumination direction becomes the object light. That is, the object light is at least part of the object illumination light. The object light from the subject passes through an optical path indicated by reference numerals 10→9→8→7→5 and then reaches a sensor surface of the image sensor 5. The object light enters the first optical waveguide 10 from its subject side end and exits from the other end opposite to the subject side end to reach the sensor surface of the image sensor 5.
On the other hand, the reference light passes through an optical path indicated by reference numerals 1→2→3→7→5, which does not include the first optical waveguide 10, that is, an optical path different from the optical path of the object light, to reach the sensor surface of the image sensor 5. On the sensor surface, the object light and the reference light interfere with each other to form a hologram interference fringe. The image sensor 5 photoelectrically converts this hologram interference fringe to record an intensity distribution of the hologram interference fringe to the image acquirer 6 connected to the image sensor 5. Thereby, the hologram is recorded.
Next, description will be made of a method of reconstructing the subject reconstructed image with referring to
The hologram interference fringe formed on the spatial light modulator 12 modulates an amplitude and a phase of the hologram illumination light to generate a hologram reconstruction light. The hologram reconstruction light has wavefronts identical to those of the original object light and passes through an optical path indicated by reference numerals 12→14→15→16→17→18 to form the subject reconstructed image 19 corresponding to the original subject 11. The hologram reconstruction light enters the second optical waveguide 18 from its entrance end and exits from its exit end opposite to the entrance end to form the subject reconstructed image 19. This subject reconstructed image 19 is observed by the observer, which enables observation of the subject 11 present inside the body.
In order to correctly reconstruct the subject reconstructed image, it is necessary to make the optical paths in the recording and in the reconstruction optically equivalent to each other. Therefore, the above optical elements used in the recording and in the reconstruction are configured such that their arrangement, specification and performance are mutually identical. Specifically, the beam splitters 7 and 15, the beam splitter 8 and the optical path difference adjusting block 16, the first and second coupling optical systems 9 and 17 and the first and second optical waveguides 10 and 18 are respectively optically equivalent to each other. Although this embodiment uses as the spatial light modulator 12 a reflective spatial light modulator, a transmissive spatial light modulator may be used.
As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the optical path in recording the hologram (hereinafter referred to as “a recording system”) and the optical path in reconstructing the subject reconstructed image (hereinafter referred to as “a reconstruction system”) are optically equivalent to each other. Therefore, integrating the recording and reconstruction systems with each other by sharing part of the above-described optical elements enables reducing a number of the optical elements and improving accuracy.
Employing such an integrated configuration enables realizing a compact endoscope apparatus.
This embodiment may involve two problems in observing the subject reconstructed image. First, the apparatus of this embodiment allows the observer to observe the subject reconstructed image formed by an exit light from an optical waveguide (optical fiber) having an extremely small diameter. In observing the subject reconstructed image, the observer observes a divergent light from an approximate point light source and thereby only can observe the subject reconstructed image formed in an area connecting between a pupil of an eye of the observer and an exit end of the optical fiber.
In order to solve this problem, this embodiment uses, as illustrated in
Second, there is, as a problem, a concave-convex inversion of the observed subject reconstructed image 19. As understood from a comparison of
Thus, this embodiment performs image capturing of the subject reconstructed image 19 with an image capturer 22 as illustrated in
Another method for solving the concave-convex inversion illustrated in
As described in Embodiment 1, it is necessary in the endoscope apparatus performing the recording of the hologram and the reconstruction of the subject reconstructed image according to the holography principle that the recording system and the reconstruction system be optically equivalent to each other. However, in the case of using, like the endoscope apparatus of Embodiment 1, a small diameter multimode optical fiber as the optical waveguide, the first optical waveguide 10 whose shape is changed by being inserted into a body in the recording and the second optical waveguide 18 used in the reconstruction are mutually different optical systems, which may make it impossible to provide a correct subject reconstructed image 19.
When the hologram is recorded in a state where the first optical waveguide 10 is bent as illustrated in
(Reference Literature 1) Jumpei Arata, et al., “Development of a Back Bone Shape Allay Force Sensor Using Optical Fiber”, Journal of Japan Society of Computer Aided Surgery, Vol. 14, No. 4 (2012)
(Reference Literature 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-173397
A specific method will be described with referring to
The FBG has a diffraction grating structure (periodic diffraction gratings) preformed in a core portion inside an optical fiber and uses its characteristic that the diffraction grating structure reflects only a light component having a specific wavelength (bragg wavelength), which is part of an entering light, and transmits other wavelength light components to detect a displacement state of the optical fiber. When a temperature of the FBG rises or an external force is applied to the FBG and thereby the FBG expands or extends, intervals between the diffraction gratings are changed and thereby the bragg wavelength is also changed, so that a displacement amount of the optical fiber can be detected depending on a variation amount of the bragg wavelength. Accordingly, providing such FBGs whose bragg wavelengths are mutually different at multiple portions in one optical fiber and performing a spectral analysis on a returning light of a wideband entering light enables measuring the displacement state of the optical fiber.
This embodiment provides multiple FBGs 28 at hatched portions in the first optical waveguide (optical fiber) 10 as illustrated in
Data of the detected displacement state of the first optical waveguide 10 is sent to a recorder/controller 50 to be used for controlling a bending state of the second optical waveguide 18 used in the reconstruction. This embodiment uses, in order to perform such a bending state control, a soft actuator disclosed in Reference Literature 3.
(Reference Literature 3) Hiroyuki Okamura and Hirochika Inoue, “Research for the future Program-Micro-mechatronics and soft mechanics”, Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan, 18. 8 (2000)
The soft actuator, which is formed of a soft material such as a conductive polymeric material or a conductive gel, is provided to technologically mimic a body's muscle. That is, the soft actuator is an artificial muscle. As illustrated in
Such a bending state control enables the recording system and the reconstruction system to be optically equivalent optical systems having no (or almost no) optical difference therebetween, which enables providing a correct subject reconstructed image 19.
The above-described embodiments provide the following effects.
First, Embodiment 1 can realize an endoscope apparatus capable of performing image capturing of an inside of a body using only one multimode optical fiber whose diameter is extremely small.
Second, although conventional apparatuses cannot perform a real-time display in reconstructing a subject reconstructed image because the apparatuses reconstruct the image with a large amount of repetitive image processing calculations, Embodiment 1 can perform a real-time display without performing such calculations.
Third, Embodiment 1 can solve the problem of the concave-convex inversion of the subject reconstructed image and the problem that the subject reconstructed image is too small in size.
Fourth, Embodiment 2 can control the bending state of the optical fiber (second optical waveguide) in reconstructing the subject reconstructed image, which enables, irrespective of the bending state of the optical fiber (first optical waveguide) in recording the hologram, providing a correct subject reconstructed image.
As described above, the above-described embodiments reduce a time required for calculation for reconstructing an image (object reconstructed image) of an object captured through a small diameter optical waveguide such as a multimode optical fiber to enable a real-time observation of the object reconstructed image.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-217688, filed on Nov. 5, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015-217688 | Nov 2015 | JP | national |