IMAGING SYSTEM WITH INDEPENDENT PROCESSING OF VISIBLE AND INFRARED LIGHT ENERGY

摘要

In order to protect members adjacent to an invasive procedure on a body, the member to be protected is illuminated preferably with infrared light energy and the entire site of the invasive procedure is viewed through an optical system that conducts both infrared and visible light energy to one or more video cameras (127). Various structures may be employed to separate the visible and infrared light energies so that the signals representing such light energies may be processed separately and differently if desired and then recombined for display or separately displayed on a video color monitor (128). The site is illuminated by light from, in one instance, an endoscope (129). Situated between the source and the endoscope is a filter that blocks infrared light energy and provides color correction of the light provided to the camera(s).