METHOD, SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, AND DEVICE FOR REMOTE, MINIATURIZED, AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING AND ANALYSIS OF HUMAN LESIONS RESEARCH AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS THEREOF

Abstract

A system for the imaging and analysis of human lesions having an illumination component, an imaging sensor, a tunable liquid imaging lens, and driver controlling different focal length settings of the electrically tunable liquid imaging lens. An enclosure houses the tunable liquid imaging lens, the illumination component, and the imaging sensor. The tunable liquid imaging lens has either a bendable lens membrane allowing the focal length to be controlled by fluid pressure, or the tunable liquid imaging lens includes two transparent liquids that are placed between two electrodes to control the focal length. An imaging sensor captures lesion images within a fraction of a second from each other across a range of focus settings to produce a single, sharp, all-focus image.

Claims

1. A system for the imaging and analysis of human lesions, comprising: an illumination component emitting light with a specific wavelength; an imaging sensor; a tunable liquid imaging lens having a bendable lens membrane, wherein a focal length of the tunable liquid imaging lens is controlled by fluid pressure on the bendable lens membrane so that as the fluid pressure is adjusted, multiple focal lengths are achieved, and the imaging sensor captures a snapshot at each focal length setting; or the tunable liquid imaging lens includes two transparent liquids that are placed between two electrodes, one of the two transparent liquids being hydrophobic, wherein an electric field between the electrodes changes the shape of the hydrophobic liquid droplet included within, which in turn changes the focal length of the tunable liquid imaging lens, and the imaging sensor captures a snapshot at each focal length setting; an enclosure housing the tunable liquid imaging lens, the illumination component, and the imaging sensor; and a driver accompanying the electrically tunable liquid imaging lens, wherein the driver is configured to control the effective focus of the electrically tunable liquid imaging lens, enabling the imaging sensor to capture lesion images within a fraction of a second from each other across a range of focus settings in order to produce a single, sharp, all-focus image.

2. The system according to claim 1, where the wavelength illumination component is infrared.

3. The system according to claim 1, where the wavelength illumination component is ultraviolet.

4. The system according to claim 1, where the wavelength emitted by the illumination component is visible.

5. tem according to claim 1, where the tunable lens used is two to twenty millimeters in diameter.

6. The system according to claim 1, where the tunable lens used is less than two millimeters in diameter.

7. The system according to claim 1, where the tunable lens, illumination component, and sensor are housed in an enclosure encircled by a plastic balloon that can be inflated or deflated, and increased or decreased in size, through the application of air pressure.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system is configured to image skin, cervical, mouth, throat, and anal cancers as the imaged human lesions.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system is configured to image infected wounds and traumatic injury wounds as the imaged human lesions.

10. ice according to claim 1, where the lens used comprises a fiber-optic bundle with a smaller, miniature, tunable lens attached to the tip.

11. The system according to claim 1, where the system utilizes spectroscopic imaging.

12. The system according to claim 1, where the system is used to take three-dimensional images of lesions throughout the human body, including confined spaces.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate like elements.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a process used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates another diagram of a process used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a structure used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of another structure used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of another structure used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrate a diagram of another structure used by the present disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram showing a relationship in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram showing another relationship in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In some instances, the FFL assembly may be coupled with various types of software for rendering and analysis of collected images and for the remote transmission of those images to users worldwide. FIGS. 1-2, attached, diagram an embodiment of the present disclosure that uses a miniaturized camera that uses infrared light to capture infrared three-dimensional images of early-stage tumors. The camera can be operated remotely and transmit the resulting images anywhere in the world.

[0030] FIG. 3 diagrams a surface view of the fiber bundle dynamic focusing lens. The figure designates the lens membrane (M) and the fiber-optic bundles (F) for image capture and illumination.

[0031] FIG. 4 diagrams a longitudinal cross-section top view of the fiber bundle dynamic focusing lens. The figure designates the lens membrane (M), the liquid (L) outside the fiber bundle unit that connects to the space below the membrane (M), and the fiber-optic bundles (F) for image capture and illumination.

[0032] FIG. 5 diagrams a longitudinal cross-section bottom view of the fiber bundle dynamic focusing lens. This figure also designates the lens membrane (M), the liquid outside the fiber bundle (F) unit that connects to the space below the membrane (M), and the fiber-optic bundles for image capture and illumination.

[0033] In some instances, the disclosure is used to image and analyze external human tumors, including tumors of the skin and cervix. FIGS. 6A and 6B diagram this embodiment, using the same fiber optic bundle lens assembly described in FIGS. 1-5, only insider a larger enclosure. The enclosure is an inflatable, plastic balloon which can be increased or decreased in size through the application of air pressure.

[0034] In some instances, software that is part of the disclosure and coupled to the disclosure's device renders and analyzes the images collected. The software carries out the task by implementing a version of a Maximum-Local-Derivative (MLD) algorithm that has previously been successfully used to extract sharpness information for large-scale data sets collected with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The code begins by reading in a set of images, where each frame was collected with a unique focus setting and within a fraction of a second from each other. Evaluating the sharpness of focus, it remaps individual image parts onto a single array, thus combining the image set to produce a single, sharp, all-focus image.

[0035] FIGS. 6A and 6B also diagram a conceptual design of the embodied enclosure described in Paragraph 0035, above, for imaging of lesions in the human cervix. The cross sections displayed in FIGS. 6A and 6B include an inflatable balloon (IB), manual control air pumps (P1; P2), an external camera module (CM), and tubes (T1; T2) connecting the various components to one another.

[0036] FIG. 7 diagrams an embodiment based on the model diagramed in FIGS. 6A and 6B, consisting of an 18186 mm tunable liquid lens aligned with an endoscope 10 mm in diameter using a 3D printed enclosure (EC). The endoscope comprises a camera (C) and electric wire (EW). The liquid lens (LL) is similar to the embodiments described in FIGS. 1-5, is electrically tunable, and includes two transparent liquids, such as water and oil, that are placed between two electrodes. An electric field is applied on the electrodes to change the shape of the hydrophobic liquid droplet included within, which in turn changes the focusing point of the lens. In this embodiment, the lens is controlled by a software driver that directs the focus setting for the collection of images multiple tumor images. The accompanying software processes the images for three-dimensional viewing and rendering in real time. The present disclosure may include embodiments similar to the one diagramed in FIG. 1, but on a smaller or miniaturized scale.

[0037] FIG. 8 diagrams an x-ray view of the embodiment described in FIG. 1, including the electric wire (EW), camera (C), enclosure (EC), flexible cable (FC) and liquid lens (LL).

[0038] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and are therefore representative of the subject matter, which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. It is further understood that the scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art.