endoscope includes an illumination source for generating a coherent laser illumination beam; an optical sensor; a multicore fiber comprising: at least one core for transferring the illumination beam from the illumination source through said at least one core to a distal end of the fiber, for illumination of a surface to be inspected; and a plurality of cores for transferring light reflected off the surface to the optical sensor; a temporal modulation sequencer for separating a specular image of the illumination beam from an image of the surface; and a processor, for processing sensed data from the optical sensor to generate the image of the surface.

The disclosure relates to an endoscopic system. The system may include a single optical fiber. The system may further include a light source which transmits light into the single optical fiber. An image sensor may be provided within the endoscopic system and disposed at a distal end of the single optical fiber. The endoscopic system may be additionally fitted with a diffuser on the distal end of the single optical fiber which outputs a light cone that is broader than an output of the single optical fiber without the diffuser.

An endoscope device comprises a reusable unit and a disposable unit. The reusable unit comprises a receiver adapted to receive image data and the disposable unit comprises an insertion tube. The insertion tube comprises an optical guide to image a distal object and a housing that is adapted to accommodate the reusable unit. The reusable unit is adapted to be disposed inside the housing and to be mechanically secured in it. The receiver is adapted to receive an optical image from the optical guide and to convert it to digital image data.

Multicore fibers and endoscope configurations are provided, along with corresponding production and usage methods. Various configurations include an adiabatically tapered proximal fiber tip and/or proximal optical elements for improving the interface between the multicore fiber and the sensor, photonic crystal fiber configurations which reduce the attenuation along the fiber, image processing methods and jointed rigid links configurations for the endoscope which reduce attenuation while maintaining required flexibility and optical fidelity. Various configurations include spectral multiplexing approaches, which increase the information content of the radiation delivered through the fibers and endoscope, and configurations which improve image quality, enhance the field of view, provide longitudinal information. Various configurations include fiber-based wave-front sensors. Many of the disclosed configurations increase the imaging resolution and enable integration of additional modes of operation while maintain the endoscope very thin, such as spectral imaging and three dimensional imaging.

According to some aspects, a medical imaging system is provided. The medical imaging system includes an illumination device and a medical imaging device. The illumination device includes a first light source configured to emit first light having a wavelength range. The illumination device further includes a second light source configured to emit second light having at least one predetermined wavelength band. The at least one predetermined wavelength band is within the wavelength range. The illumination device further includes a dichroic mirror configured to attenuate a portion of the wavelength range corresponding to the at least one predetermined wavelength band and to multiplex the second light with the first light such that the portion of the wavelength range of the first light is attenuated. The light multiplexed by the dichroic mirror is emitted from the illumination device along an optical axis and irradiates an observation site. The medical imaging device includes at least one sensor configured to receive light from the observation site.

An exemplary embodiment providing one or more improvements includes an endoscope which utilizes a single coherent fiber bundle for simultaneously carrying imaging and illumination light.

The invention relates to multicore fiber imaging, such as used in endoscopy. Methods are described for processing images captured with such systems to achieve an improved depth of field image or extract 3D information concerning the images, without requiring the addition of additional optical components. One method for generating an image from light received by an imager via a multiplicity of waveguides includes receiving a digital image containing a plurality of pixels, the digital image including a plurality of regions within it wherein each of said regions corresponds to a waveguide core. Each region includes a plurality of pixels, and a first subset of pixels within each region is defined which at least partly correlates with light having been received at a corresponding core in a first spatial arrangement, the subset including less than all of the pixels within a region. A first image is generated from the first subset of pixels from said regions, combined to form an image over the whole waveguide array. The first spatial arrangement may correspond to a measure of angular dimension of the incident light for that region. In addition to increased depth of field, the modified images provided by the invention allow 3D visualisation of objects, eg. using stereographs or depth mapping techniques.

An optical probe imaging system includes an optical probe having a multicore optical fiber. Distal optics image light propagating in the multicore optical fiber so as to generate a light pattern on a sample that is based on a relative position of the cores. A distal motor causes the light pattern to traverse a path across the sample. An optical receiver includes a first receiver receiving light that has traversed the path across the sample from one of the at least two cores and a second receiver receiving light that has traversed the path across the sample from the other of the cores, such that the first receiver and the second receiver detect light in parallel. A processor maps relative position of the cores at the distal facet based on signals generated by the receiver.

The disclosure relates to an endoscopic light source that includes a first emitter. The first emitter may emit light of a first wavelength at a dichroic mirror which reflects the light of the first wavelength to a plurality of optical fibers. The endoscopic light source further comprises a second emitter. The second emitter may emit light of a second wavelength at a second dichroic mirror which reflects the light of the second wavelength to the plurality of optical fibers. In one embodiment, the first dichroic mirror may be transparent to the light of the second wavelength, allowing the light of the second wavelength to pass through the first dichroic mirror.

According to some aspects, a medical imaging system is provided. The medical imaging system includes an illumination device and a medical imaging device. The illumination device includes a first light source configured to emit first light having a wavelength range. The illumination device further includes a second light source configured to emit second light having at least one predetermined wavelength band. The at least one predetermined wavelength band is within the wavelength range. The illumination device further includes a dichroic mirror configured to attenuate a portion of the wavelength range corresponding to the at least one predetermined wavelength band and to multiplex the second light with the first light such that the portion of the wavelength range of the first light is attenuated. The light multiplexed by the dichroic mirror is emitted from the illumination device along an optical axis and irradiates an observation site. The medical imaging device includes at least one sensor configured to receive light from the observation site.