Light source device and image capturing device

• US 20030007087A1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hakamata, Kazuo, Toida, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,037,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0653 with wavelength conversion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means

Abstract

A light source device for use in an image capturing device such as an endoscope capable of reducing size and cost, and preventing heat generation at an illuminated position. An illumination unit of the endoscope includes LED light sources for emitting ultraviolet light, fluorescent fibers for generating red, green and blue light respectively by irradiation of the ultraviolet light, a sampling light source, and an excitation light source. Upon capturing a normal image, the ultraviolet light is emitted sequentially from the LED light sources to cause the fluorescent fibers to generate the red, green and blue light. The light of each color is passed through a light guide and irradiated on an observation area of a living body. Thereafter, reflected images attributable to the light of each color are captured with a CCD image capturing element of a charge multiplying type, and captured images are displayed on a monitor.

Claims

1. A light source device comprising:

at least one light-emitting source including a solid-state light-emitting element for emitting excitation light; and

at least one fluorescent fiber for generating illumination light in a given wavelength range owing to irradiation of the excitation light emitted from the solid-state Light-emitting element and for emitting the illumination light from one end thereof.

2. The light source device according to claim 1,

wherein the solid-state light-emitting element is either of a super luminescence diode and a laser diode, and

another end of the fluorescent fiber is connected to an emitting end face of either of the super luminescence diode and the laser diode.

3. The light source device according to claim 1, comprising:

three types of the fluorescent fibers for emitting the illumination light in wavelength ranges corresponding to respective colors of R, G and B owing to irradiation of the excitation light; and

three light-emitting sources for irradiating the excitation light onto the fluorescent fibers respectively.

4. The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluorescent fiber is a single fiber.

5. The light source device according to claim 4, wherein a core diameter of the single fiber is within 400 μ

m.

6. An image capturing device comprising:

the light source device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 5 for irradiating illumination light onto an observation area; and

solid-state image capturing means of a charge multiplying type for capturing an optical image based on reflected light emitted from the observation area owing to irradiation of the illumination light and thereby obtaining output data.

7. An image capturing device comprising:

the light source device according to claim 4 for irradiating illumination light onto an observation area; and

solid-state image capturing means of a charge multiplying type for capturing an optical image based on reflected light emitted from the observation area owing to irradiation of the illumination light and thereby obtaining output data.

8. The image capturing device according to claim 6, wherein any of part and all of the light source device and the solid-state image capturing means constitute a mode of an endoscope to be inserted into a living body.

9. The image capturing device according to claim 7, wherein any of part and all of the light source device and the solid-state image capturing means constitute a mode of an endoscope to be inserted into a living body.