Device for the detection and characterization of biological tissue

• US 20060227216A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sopro
• Original Assignee: Sopro
• Inventors: Mazuir, Alain, Dieras, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.990
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0088 for oral or dental tissue
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30036 Dental; Teeth
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/94 based on local image properties, e.g. for local contrast enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/42 using transform domain methods

Abstract

Method for detection and location of a difference in density and/or structure and/or chemical composition of a biological tissue (7) which is subjected to continuous illumination in a first determined band of frequencies, causing the former to generate a phenomenon of fluorescence, autofluorescence or luminescence in a second band of frequencies. The method includes the following stages: the biological tissue thus illuminated is visually captured by colour video elements provided with image sensors with a mosaic of pixels provided with additional colour filters; for each image point thus obtained 1) information relating to the energy received by each pixel is collected in order to reconstitute an image of the biological tissue (7), b) amplification occurs for the signal corresponding to the energy received in the second frequency band in order to characterize the biological tissue (7) difference or to cause the image thus obtained to appear.

Claims

1. Method for detecting and locating the difference in density and/or structure and/or chemical composition of a biological tissue (7) which is subjected to continuous illumination in a first determined band of frequencies, able to cause the tissue to generate a phenomenon of fluorescence, auto-fluorescence or luminescence in a second band of frequencies, characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting of:

capturing an image of the biological tissue illuminated in this way, using colour video means provided with image sensors with a mosaic of pixels provided with filters of complementary colours,

for each point of the image so obtained;

a) collecting data related to the energy received by each pixel, so as to reconstitute the image of the biological tissue (7),

b) amplifying the signal corresponding to the energy received in the second band of frequencies so as to characterize or cause to appear the said difference of the biological tissue (7) in the image obtained.

2. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the data collected in the second band of frequencies is processed so as to characterize the structure difference obtained in a colour other than the colour naturally corresponding to this second zone of frequencies.

3. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that radiations are added to the band of frequencies of the illumination spectrum that are able to modify the fluorescence spectrum to shift the fluorescence band of parasite fluorescence.

8. Method as in claim 2, characterized in that radiations are added to the band of frequencies of the illumination spectrum that are able to modify the fluorescence spectrum to shift the fluorescence band of parasite fluorescence.

4. Device for detecting and locating the difference in density and/or structure and/or chemical composition of a biological tissue (7), characterized in that it comprises:

means (1) able to illuminate the biological tissue (7) continuously with a light located in a first determined band of frequencies, so as to cause the tissue to generate a phenomenon of fluorescence in a second band of frequencies,

colour video means (11) provided with image sensors with a mosaic of pixels provided with filters of complementary colours,

capture and calculation means which, for each point of the image so obtained, are able to collect data related to the energy received by each pixel so as to reconstitute the image of the biological tissue (7),

means for amplifying the signal corresponding to the energy received in the second band of frequencies so as to characterize or cause to appear the said difference of the biological tissue in the image obtained.

5. Device as in claim 4, characterized in that it comprises processing means (13) to process data collected in the second band of frequencies, so as to characterize the structure difference obtained in a colour other than the colour naturally corresponding to this second zone of frequencies.

6. Method for detecting and locating the difference in density and/or structure and/or chemical composition of a biological tissue subjected to continuous illumination in a first determined band of frequencies, able to cause the tissue to generate a phenomenon of fluorescence, auto-fluorescence or luminescence in a second band of frequencies, characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting of:

capturing an image of the biological tissue so illuminated using image-capturing means consisting of monochrome image sensors, namely a luminance sensor and at least one sensor provided with a filter of the colour corresponding to the colour of the fluorescence emitted during detection of a difference it is sought to detect,

for each point of the image so obtained;

a) collecting data related to the energy received by each pixel so as to reconstitute the image of the biological tissue,

b) amplifying the signal corresponding to the energy received in the second band of frequencies so as to characterize or cause to appear the said difference of the biological tissue in the image obtained.

7. Device for detecting and locating the difference in density and/or structure and/or chemical composition of a biological tissue, characterized in that it comprises:

means (1) able to illuminate the biological tissue (7) continuously with a light located in a first determined band of frequencies so as to cause the tissue to generate a phenomenon of fluorescence in a second band of frequencies,

image-capturing means consisting of monochrome image sensors, namely a luminance sensor and at least one sensor provided with a filter of the colour corresponding to that of the fluorescence emitted during detection of a difference it is sought to detect,

capture and calculation means which, for each point of the image so obtained, are able to collect data related to the energy received by each pixel so as to reconstitute the image of the biological tissue,

means for amplifying the signal corresponding to the energy received in the second band of frequencies so as to characterize or cause to appear the said difference of the biological tissue in the image obtained.