In vivo sensor with panoramic camera

• US 20080143822A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CapsoVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CapsoVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Gordon, Wang, Kang-Huai
• Granted Patent: US 8,773,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00179 for off-axis viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/243 Objectives for endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

The invention is directed to a system and method for vivo image capturing system. The system includes a camera having an entrance pupil, where the camera is configured to capture a panoramic image of an environment surrounding the camera, wherein the panoramic image is captured on a single image plane. The system further includes a light source for providing an illumination source for the camera and a closed housing for enclosing the camera and the light source.

Claims

1. An in vivo image capturing system comprising:

a camera having an entrance pupil, the camera configured to capture a panoramic image of an environment surrounding the camera, wherein the panoramic image is captured on a single image plane; and

a light source for providing an illumination source for the camera; and

a closed housing for enclosing the camera and the light source.

2. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a power source for providing power to the light source and the camera.

3. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 2, wherein the power source is a battery located within the capsule.

4. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 2, wherein the power source is an inductive power source located outside the capsule and configured to induce power into the capsule to power the camera and illumination source.

5. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the closed housing includes a transparent window for passing light into the panoramic camera, and wherein the panoramic camera is configured with a longitudinal field of view defined by a range of view angles relative to a longitudinal axis of the capsule and a latitudinal field of view defined by a panoramic range of azimuth angles about the longitudinal axis such that the camera can capture a panoramic image covering substantially a 360 deg latitudinal FOV and a longitudinal FOV ranging from some angle greater than 0 deg to another angle greater than 90 deg.

6. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the camera has a longitudinal axis such that the angular FOV includes a plane substantially in its entirety, wherein the plane is perpendicular to the axis and intersects the pupil.

7. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising an optical system that includes a panoramic annular lens configured to focus an image onto the single image plane.

8. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the capsule is configured with a body of oblong shape and having a longitudinal axis along the length of the body, the system further including an optical system having a panoramic annular lens that enables images to be captured by the panoramic camera radially about the longitudinal axis and onto the single image plane.

9. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the camera is oriented within the capsule to capture images radially about the longitudinal axis and has a FOV that is substantially perpendicular with respect to the capsule to enable viewing of a tissue surface oriented parallel to the principle direction of travel of the capsule and to enable capturing an image of the tissue surface onto the single image plane.

10. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the capsule has a housing that is oblong in shape, and wherein the camera is oriented within the housing to capture images radially about the longitudinal axis and along the axis of the body, the system further including an optical system having a panoramic annular lens and a window located substantially surrounding area of the oblong body for receiving light rays from an object into the panoramic annular lens.

11. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 10, wherein the longitudinal axis is a concentric axis of symmetry for the panoramic annular lens.

12. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 7, wherein the panoramic annular lens has a concentric axis of symmetry and includes two refractive surfaces and two reflective surfaces configured to allow incoming light to pass through a first refractive surface into a transparent medium

13. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 7 wherein the panoramic annular lens has a concentric axis of symmetry and includes two refractive surfaces and two reflective surfaces configured to allow incoming light to pass through a first refractive surface into a transparent medium, to be reflected by a first reflective surface, then reflected by a second reflective surface, and then to exit the medium through a second refractive surface.

14. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 7 wherein the panoramic annular lens is configured to produce an image with a cylindrical field of view from a point-of-view on the concentric axis.

15. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 12, wherein the reflective and refractive surfaces are conicoid surfaces of revolution, and wherein the conic constant of the first reflector is in the range of −

0.6 to +2.

16. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 12, wherein the reflective and refractive surfaces are conicoid surfaces of revolution, and wherein the conic constant of the first reflective surface is in the range of −

0.6 to +2, where the conic constant of the second reflective surface is chosen to be less than that of the first.

17. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 12, wherein the reflective and refractive surfaces are one of conicoid surfaces of revolution, spheroidal surfaces, or aspheroidal surfaces.

18. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a data processor configured to generate a continuous image made up of multiple captured images.

20. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a data processor configured to generate a continuous image made up of multiple contiguous captured images.

21. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store captured images.

22. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 21, wherein the memory is located within the capsule.

23. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 21, wherein the memory is located within the capsule, and wherein the processor is configured to compress image data and to store the compressed image data in the electronic memory.

24. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 21, wherein the memory is located outside the capsule, wherein image data is stored in the memory for subsequent processing

25. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 21, wherein the memory is located outside the capsule, the system further comprising a remote processor configured to compress image data and to store the compressed image data in the memory.

26. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission module configured to transmit images captured by the panoramic camera to a remote receiver configured to receive captured images.

27. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission module configured to transmit images captured by the panoramic camera to a remote receiver having data storage configured to store captured images for processing by an image processor.

19. An in vivo image capturing system according to claim 19, wherein the data processor is located outside the capsule.

28. A method for in-vivo imaging, comprising:

providing a device for panoramic in-vivo imaging of the gastrointestinal tract onto a single image plane;

emitting electromagnetic radiation from the capsule; and

receiving reflections of the electromagnetic radiation from tissue surfaces for use in forming a panoramic image of the tissues from a field of view that includes substantially all directions perpendicular to the principle direction of travel through the gastrointestinal tract.

29. A method according to claim 28, further comprising:

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer for processing.

30. A method according to claim 28, further comprising

performing compression on images detected by an image sensor to produce compressed image data;

and

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer.

31. A method according to claim 28, further comprising

performing compression on images detected by an image sensor in the capsule to produce compressed image data;

storing the compressed image data in a memory in the capsule; and

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer.

32. A method according to claim 28, wherein uploading the images to a host computer further comprises retrieving the capsule housing and uploading the images by connecting the capsule to the host computer.

33. A method according to claim 28, wherein uploading the images to a host computer further comprises uploading the images by transmitting the images from the capsule to the host computer.

34. A method according to claim 28, further comprising

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer with a wireless signal.

35. A method according to claim 28, further comprising

performing compression on images detected by an image sensor to produce compressed image data;

and

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer via a wireless communication signal.

36. A method according to claim 28, further comprising

performing compression on images detected by an image sensor in the capsule to produce compressed image data;

storing the compressed image data in a memory in the capsule; and

uploading the compressed image data to a host computer via a wireless communication signal.

37. A method for in-vivo imaging with a camera encased within a capsule, comprising:

providing a capsule housing having a portion at least partially transparent to electromagnetic radiation in a given wavelength range;

ingesting said capsule by a patient;

emitting electromagnetic radiation in said wavelength range from said capsule;

detecting images from reflections of said electromagnetic radiation with an image sensor using a panoramic camera;

performing compression on images detected by an image sensor in said capsule before storing said images in a transistor memory in said capsule;

retrieving said capsule from said patient; and

uploading said images to a host computer.

38. A capsule configured to house a camera for in-vivo imaging, comprising:

a panoramic camera;

an illuminating light source;

a closed capsule having a first set of inner and outer transparent-window-surface regions demarcated by the intersections of incoming image rays within the camera FOV with the interior and exterior surfaces of the window and a second set of inner and outer transparent-window-surface regions demarcated by the intersections of illuminating light rays, passing from within the capsule to the exterior, with the interior and exterior surfaces of the window;

wherein the inner surface regions from each set and the outer surface regions from each set are sufficiently non-overlapping such that wherever incoming image rays and outgoing illuminating rays intersect at a common point on a window surface the angle between the outgoing ray and the surface normal exceeds the angle between the incoming ray and the surface normal such that the reflection of the outgoing ray from the surface is not within the camera FOV.

39. The capsule according to claim 38 where the inner surface regions from each set are non overlapping.

40. The capsule according to claim 39 where the outer surface regions from each set are non overlapping.

41. The capsule according to claim 38, further comprising:

a reflector configured to reflect illuminating light from the illuminating light source away from the camera and toward a subject surface.

42. The capsule according to claim 38, wherein the camera includes a lens configured to receive illuminating light reflected from a subject surface, the capsule further comprising:

a reflector configured to reflect illuminating light from the illuminating light source away from the camera in a manner that prevents stray light from directly entering the camera lens without being scattered by a subject surface.