Apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis of skin diseases with improved uniformity of illumination
| Title: | Apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis of skin diseases with improved uniformity of illumination |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 8,162,496 |
| Publication Date: | April 24, 2012 |
| Appl. No: | 11/811677 |
| Application Filed: | June 11, 2007 |
| Abstract: | The present invention provides an apparatus for white light observation and fluorescence diagnosis of skin diseases. More particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis in which a plurality of excitation light emitting diodes (LEDs) is provided in an image pick-up head, the excitation LEDs being arranged to illuminate the entire examination region in the form of a mosaic by setting respective illumination light axes of the excitation LEDs to illuminate preassigned individual areas of the examination region, thus uniformly illuminating the examination region in a wide field of view with excitation light. In the apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis, the respective excitation LEDs are provided at the same or different angles based on the light axis of the object lens, and thereby it is possible that the beams of the light sources composed of the LEDs illuminate the field of view of the examination region uniformly, thus improving the uniformity of illumination. Moreover, the present invention provides an apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis in which warm white LEDs and cold white LEDs as white light sources are appropriately arranged so as to deliver natural colors and thereby to reproduce natural color images. |
| Inventors: | Kang, Uk (Gunpo-si, KR); Bae, Soo Jin (Ansan-si, KR); Rim, Geun Hie (Changwon-si, KR); Kim, Guang Hoon (Busan, KR); Papayan, Geri. V (Saint Petersburg, RU) |
| Assignees: | Korea Electro Technology Research Institute (Changwon-Shi, Gyeongsangnam-Do, KR) |
| Claim: | 1. An apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis, comprising a camera device: a plurality of white light emitting diodes (LEDs) used as white light sources and a plurality of excitation LEDs used as fluorescence exciting light sources, wherein the plurality of white LEDs and excitation LEDs are arranged around and in front of the camera device and concentrate light on an object from white and excitation LEDs oriented at various angles for white light observation and fluorescence diagnosis on an examination region, wherein the respective excitation LEDs are arranged to have a predetermined illumination light axis angle based on a light axis of the camera such that the plurality of excitation LEDs illuminate preassigned individual areas of the examination region being in contact with a view hole in front of the case of the camera in the form of a mosaic combining the preassigned individual areas. |
| Claim: | 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the fluorescence excitation LEDs is an LED that emits at visible light wavelength of about 400 nm. |
| Claim: | 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of LEDs emit at a visible light wavelength of about 400 nm as fluorescence excitation LEDs are arranged circularly or rectangularly based on the camera light axis. |
| Claim: | 4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of LEDs used as white light sources are arranged such that warm white light source LEDs having a strong red component and cold white light source LEDs having a strong blue component in light spectrum are alternated. |
| Claim: | 5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the warm white light source LEDs and the cold white light source LEDs are arranged circularly or rectangularly outside the fluorescence excitation LEDs. |
| Claim: | 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the warm white light source LEDs and the cold white light source LEDs are alternately arranged one by one. |
| Claim: | 7. An apparatus for photodynamic diagnosis, comprising: a camera device; a plurality of white light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged around and in front of the camera device, the plurality of white LEDs used as white light sources provided in a case of the cameras device and concentrate light on an object from white and excitation LEDs oriented at various angles on an object, for white light observation on an examination region; and a plurality of excitation LEDs arranged around and in front of the camera device and concentrate light from the plurality of the excitation LEDs oriented at various angles on the object, the plurality of excitation LEDs used as fluorescence exciting light sources, the plurality of excitation LEDs provided in a case of the camera device for fluorescence diagnosis on the examination region, wherein the respective excitation LEDs are arranged to have a predetermined illumination light axis angle based on the camera light axis such that the plurality of excitation LEDs illuminate preassigned individual areas of the examination region being in contact with a view hole in front of the case of the camera device in the form of a mosaic combining the preassigned individual areas. |
| Claim: | 8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the fluorescence excitation LEDs is an LED that emits at visible light wavelength of about 400 nm. |
| Claim: | 9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of LEDs emit at a visible light wavelength of about 400 nm as fluorescence excitation LEDs are arranged circularly or rectangularly based on the camera light axis. |
| Claim: | 10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of LEDs used as white light sources are arranged such that warm white light source LEDs having a strong red component and cold white light source LEDs having a strong blue component in light spectrum are alternated. |
| Claim: | 11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the warm white light source LEDs and the cold white light source LEDs are arranged circularly or rectangularly outside the fluorescence excitation LEDs. |
| Claim: | 12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the warm white light source LEDs and the cold white light source LEDs are alternately arranged one by one. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 362/11 |
| Patent References Cited: | 6551240 April 2003 Henzler 6921920 July 2005 Kazakevich 7279688 October 2007 Campman 2007/0138966 June 2007 Marka et al. 2009/0146080 June 2009 Liebsch 2006198424 August 2006 2006284398 October 2006 |
| Primary Examiner: | Sawhney, Hargobind S |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Corless, Peter F. |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.08162496 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
|---|